Augusta - A report released Wednesday shows a dramatic drop in the number of kids in Maine who commit crimes, go to jail, then re-offend. Officals at the Maine Department of Corrections say the report shows the state's youth correctional facilities are helping kids turn their lives around.

In 1999, out of all the youth offenders sent to the Maine Youth Center, 75% were re-offending and being sent back after their release. "Kids were being committed and detained at high rates and when they left, they weren't necessarily doing very well," said Barry Stoodley, Asociate Commissioner of the Division of Juvenile Services at the Maine Department of Corrections.

According to a new report titled, KIDS COUNT Data Snapshot: Reducing Youth Incarceration in the United States, the rate of young people in correctional facilities in Maine who are re-offending after their release is plummeting. "Our recidivism rate has reduced from about 75% in about 1999 to 3 or 4 years ago it was about 30% and most recently as this, it may be as low as 10%," Stoodley said.

Stoodley believes it started with building two new youth correctional facilities, one in South Portland and one in Charleston. New programs were implemented inside the walls to help rehabilitate the juvenile offenders by identifying their triggers. "What are the elements that exist in the kid's life and the community, family life and other circumstances? School and peers? Other circumstances around those juveniles that if we can change them will result in better results."

Those results are beyond anyone's wildest expectations. "We are ecstatic to see that not only have crime rates reduced in the state of Maine over that time period, but the violent crime rates have reduced even more. And that the incarceration rate at the same time has been reduced, which leads to the conclusion that kids are doing better."

To see the entire KIDS COUNT Data Snapshot: Reducing Youth Incarceration in the United States:

http://www.mekids.org/national-kids-count.php

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