The State of Iowa has gotten a $750,000 federal grant to experiment with programs that help juveniles who’ve been arrested avoid trouble with the law in the future.
“Look at public safety and juvenile justice in a way that maybe makes it a little more local,” says Michael Bousselot, one of the govenror’s policy advisors.
It may also involve more counseling for teenagers who’ve been arrested rather than more time in a detention center.
“But in a way that’s evidence-based, looking at what other states have done and maybe modernize our criminal and juvenile justice planning through this grant which will study the effectiveness of the techniques,” Bousselot says.
Iowa is one of just three states to receive these federal grants. The three-year project will target juvenile justice services in three judicial districts located in northeast and northwest Iowa.