Since the beginning, our juvenile justice system has been primarily
reactive to the problems it has encountered. The punishment of child criminals, until the nineteenth century, was often severe.  In the United States, juvenile offenders  were treated as adult criminals. Sentences for all offenders could be harsh and the death penalty was occasionally imposed.
Identifying that the immature were not morally responsible for their behavior, a civilized society began to separate adult and juvenile offender in the area of crime and punishment.
The first criminal institution expressly for juveniles was the House of Refuge, founded in New York City in 1824.( Juvenile Crime, 1994, Funk and Wagnall ).
Realizing that more attention should be paid to protecting and guiding juvenile offenders in the right direction, society, in the second half of the nineteenth, century started major reforms as to how children were dealt with in the justice system.
From 1870 through 1892, Massachusetts and New York provided special hearings for children in the courts , and the juvenile justice system started to take shape.  Jurisdiction of juvenile offenders was being transferred from adult courts to the newly formed juvenile court system.
This system came about in reaction to the public objecting to the harsh treatment imposed on delinquent children in the adult system of justice.  An act of wrongdoing by a child was now being seen as the need for care and treatment rather than a justification for punishment.

In addition to the juvenile courts, other innovations in working with juvenile offenders appeared in the twentieth century, including but not limited to child guidance clinics, juvenile aide bureaus attached to local police departments, and special school programs.
Up to this point, in my opinion, the juvenile justice system as a whole was established in reaction to those juveniles that had already committed a crime, and or had behavior problems. 
Proactive programs to inform juveniles of the consequences of their actions did not start to develop on a national level until early nineteen fifties.  Moves like 'Reefer Madness,' and 'Killer Weed' were being shown in public schools in an  attempt to deter drug and alcohol use.
Early prevention techniques were primarily designed to scare young adults away from drugs alcohol and the criminal element.  However statistics show that during the sixties and seventies juvenile arrest,
increased in almost every serious crime category, and the female juvenile crime rate almost doubled.(U.S. Crime Reports, 1994, Funk and Wagnall)
In the seventies, programs like 'Scared Straight' were introduced, again attempting to scare juveniles away from crime, drugs, and alcohol.  Children  being exposed to career criminals in a prison setting for a few hours was supposed to 'Scare them Straight.'  This program allowed inmates to intimated verbally abuse and berate the juveniles who attended it.  The long term research showed these programs had little, if not an adverse affect on the youth they came in contact with.  It became apparent that intimidation and fear were not the way to go.
 
In most recent years the proactive approach to prevention has made great strides on the national level.  Programs such as D.A.R.E., and If you Change Your Mind, are designed to help juveniles improve the thought process and their decision making capabilities.  Programs like these allow juveniles to receive, digest, and rationalize information, rather than force or intimidate them into a decision about their future. ( National Institute on Drug Abuse )
Following the national trend, local agencies and organizations have developed programs to aide juveniles in the decision making process. 
These programs are attempting to reach juveniles before they become involved with drugs and alcohol. Showing them the consequences to their physical, and mental health as well as what they have to lose if incarcerated in a correctional facility.

A local success story along these lines conducted by the Hillsborough County Department of Corrections is entitled 'Operation Impact' .
This program has received rave reviews from community leaders, educators, youth service workers, police departments, local courts, and the juveniles that have attended it. Designed by Captain Micheal Dempsey in 1993, the program is structured to show participants that they have a choice as to where their life will take them.
Operation Impact shows juveniles the end result of making the wrong decisions. It allows juveniles to evaluate their choices, and the out come of wrong decisions based on the information delivered.  Throughout the program, staff and inmates at the adult correctional facility continually stress that the choice belongs to the individual.

'This is not Scared Straight.  I am not going to yell and scream at you.  I am going to talk to you about choices.'  The choices, Dempsey explained would be the ones teenagers made on a daily basis when to eat, what to wear, who to hang around with.  'If you make the wrong choice you could end up here.'  (Union Leader, Nov. 21 1994)  
Operation Impact differs from the nationally known 'Scared Straight' Program. The Scared Straight program introduces the kids directly to hardened criminals in hopes of scaring them into good behavior. 
Instead, Dempsey plainly presents the facts about prison life and about the choices made by some of the inmates that got them inside.  'The things you will see and hear today are all true.' Dempsey says, 'Most of the things you hear on the outside are a crock.  You have the choice to listen or you can chump it off  its up to you.'  ( Hookestt Banner, Apr. 13 1994) 
Operation Impact has reached over five thousand students in over 60 cities and towns throughout New Hampshire ranging from sixth graders to college-aged students.

New Hampshire State Senator Robert Smith commented on the program saying that, ' Hopefully, Operation Impact today will mean fewer substance abuse inmates tomorrow.'
Then New Hampshire Governor Steve Merrill wrote that, ' With the increases in substance abuse in New Hampshire, particularly among the younger generation , 'Operation Impact' plays a significant role in education and prevention.'
James Bronstine of Manchester's Central High School Little Green Newspaper calls the program, 'A sobering and invaluable addition to the curriculum.'

Almost every student that has participated in this program has written a letter back to the facility commenting of the impact it had on them and their friends.  By reaching out to the juvenile population before they become involved with drugs/alcohol, and/or to intervene if they are already involved, is crucial.  Programs should be designed to teach communication and responsible decision making to our youth, to help them digest the information given, and to empower them with the ability to make the right choice. In the long run, Benjamin Franklin was right, ' An Ounce of Prevention is worth a Pound of Cure.'