PEI Kids Juvenile Offenders Outreach Program

Comprehensive Juvenile Offenders Outreach Services (CJOOS) offers first or second time juvenile offenders on probation who have been involved in auto theft, motor vehicle related crimes or entry-level offenses an intensive, 16-week curriculum intended to help redirect them toward more positive approaches and pursuits. The program is geared toward youth offenders between the ages of 11 and 17 with the intent to help them develop positive value systems and goal-setting abilities, teach them decision-making and conflict resolution skills, and instill in them a respect for authority. Significant emphasis is also placed on the value of education, participants are strongly encouraged to remain in school and if they have already dropped out, are assisted in the re-enrollment process. An anger management track helps participants identify anger triggers, suggest methods to manage emotions, and focus on ways in which participants can re-route their energies. The program aims to help them modify their behaviors and thinking to avoid further negative involvement with the juvenile justice system.

JOOP has an open door policy and any graduate of the program is welcome to attend the weekly sessions. Attendance by graduates is a regular occurrence and often these young people serve as examples for currently enrolled participants. The success of the program is measured in the recidivism rate of JOOP graduates. To date the majority of graduates have not re-entered the juvenile justice system.

The program meets on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Contact: Robert Fiorello, CJOOS Coordinator – rfiorello@peikids.org

"Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mercer County is ranked in juvenile arrests:

# 2 for murder
#2 for rape
# 3 for stolen property (possessing, buying, receiving)
# 3 for runaways