Most court systems in the United States treat 18 – 24 year olds who commit a crime like any other adult offender, with an adult prison sentence. However, national studies show that these transitional age youth (TAY) are less likely to commit another crime if they are placed in juvenile settings instead of adult systems. In California, Senate Bill 1004 built on this insight and set the stage for the Santa Clara County Probation Department to create a collaborative model of rehabilitation for TAY, known as Young Adult Deferred Entry of Judgement (YA DEJ), which provides education, housing, and employment resources for TAY in a juvenile setting.
FLY and T Lab leveraged the opportunity to contribute programming to YA DEJ and created STAY FLY, a reentry program that develops social emotional learning (SEL) skills and knowledge of the law to reduce recidivism. The team designed STAY FLY to specifically cultivate four SEL skills: self-awareness, social awareness, critical problem solving, and self advocacy. Nine months of research and prototyping resulted in a coordinated micro pilot that showed early indicators of program efficacy at a small scale and is helping to make the case for a full-scale pilot.
Check back here for updates on this program.
T Lab, Tipping Point’s R+D team, partners with nonprofits and community members to research, prototype, and test new poverty-fighting social services.
