Juveniles in Indiana are getting the chance to take advantage of a new program that is designed to help young offenders become more responsible members of their communities after their release.

The PLUS program, created and supported by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Indiana Department of Corrections Commissioner J. David Donahue, is the first in the country to specifically focus on juveniles both during their incarceration – and after they have been released, according to officials.

“One of the reasons that we wanted to focus on juveniles is their unique position,” says Tim Brown, Director of Legislative Affairs for the Indiana Department of Corrections (DOC). “Juveniles will not have to face a negative stigma when they are released – they have no record, and they won't be judged for having a felony. They have a chance to become responsible members of the community instead of becoming repeat offenders.”

The PLUS (which stands for Purposeful Living Units Serve) program recently started a pilot run, opening three trial programs for men, women and juveniles in the Indiana prison system. The program offers two different tracks for participants: a faith-based program, or a character-based program.

According to Donahue, the reaction from inmates has been overwhelming for such a simple program.

“We really had to research and understand the potentials of partnering communities with juveniles – we had to improve re-entry rates,” Donahue said. “I truly believe that human beings want to have a purpose, incarcerated or not. We want to help these offenders, juveniles or not, develop a sense of responsibility and a sense of ownership for their community.”

Tackling the Numbers

For Donahue, it became obvious that the program was needed for juveniles and adults once he looked at the numbers.

“The recidivism numbers were unacceptable,” Donahue said. “If you think about it, in 2004, we released over 13,000 inmates. In 2005, we will release about 15,000. If we don't stop to think about what happens to these offenders once they are free, we are only going to see repeat offenses.”

The recidivism rate in Indiana is 38%, while the juvenile recidivism rate is just a little bit lower.

“When I saw the numbers for our recidivism rate, in juveniles and adults, all I could think was that something had to be done,” Donahue said. “Our primary goal is public safety. We don't want to see new criminals, new criminal conduct, new offenses or new victims of crime. We began focusing on these offenders when they get out of jail.”

Not only was the release of each prisoner and juvenile important, but the current activities of each offender were also crucial to the success of the prisoners and the program to prepare them for release.

Re-Entry

The PLUS program is especially important for juvenile offenders because it focuses on preparing them to re-enter society. The most important goals of the PLUS program are to reduce the rate of re-offenders and help juveniles restructure their behavior before they commit major offenses.

Another factor for the juvenile program is sentencing. Adult offenders are usually sentenced to a certain amount of years, while juvenile offenders are given indefinite sentences– and they aren't eligible for release until they are given a positive assessment by the state. The PLUS program is helpful because once juveniles improve their behavior within the facility, their assessments improve as a result.

“For many juveniles they think ‘What am I going to do when I get out of this facility? Am I going to go to school? Am I going to any kind of trade school?', and we want to help them with those questions,” Brown said. “We make juveniles think about the next step. They are only thinking about day-to-day living, but we try to make them look at the bigger picture and their bigger plans.”

The PLUS program offers an intense course load – offenders, both juvenile and adult, are responsible for completing a curriculum that involves classes for personal self-improvement, purposeful life plans, drug and alcohol treatment, anger management, and even personal responsibility.

A Program to Provide Support

The PLUS program is innovative for a number of reasons. First, it allows any participant to make a choice between a faith-based program and a character-based program. While the program does cater to inmates of no faith, it also caters to offenders of any religion, acknowledging that inmates practice Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Muslim, and even Wicca. The PLUS program is designed to instill a sense of community and create a neighborhood within correctional facility walls.

“There is no doctrine necessary here,” Donahue said. “You do not have to be a pronounced believer of any particular group. This is about offenders who want to change their behaviors and want to do a better job.”

The PLUS housing units are not painted the usual dreary grey – participants of the program are surrounded by colorful walls and inspirational messages for motivation. These housing units are meant to create an atmosphere of support for each juvenile or adult offender. When the pilot of the PLUS program was launched, 26 juveniles were enrolled – the number has doubled since July, and there are now 58 juveniles involved in the program. Numbers aside, Donahue says he has seen more than just an improvement in inmate involvement with the program.

For instance, Donahue notes that he has seen a dramatic decrease in disruptive behavior, less strain on prison staff, and less administrative time spent on discipline. Donahue adds that he fundamentally believes in the program and each offender involved

The program has been so successful that new juvenile and adult offender units are continuing to open throughout the state – and the program is so popular among inmates that many of them write to the PLUS program department asking for units to open at their facilities.

“We are committed,” Donahue said, “to improving the environment and quality of life for these men, women and juveniles while incarcerated. We have a new approach to their daily activities and we are committed to showing our dedication to these inmates. They aren't numbers to us – they are the future of our communities and we need to treat them that way.”