The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced a new $2.3 million grant to support adding three more project sites to Reclaiming Futures, a nonprofit program that is helping young people break the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime in 23 communities across the country.
The foundation launched Reclaiming Futures in 2002 to address this crisis by bringing together judges, probation officers, treatment providers, families and community members to improve drug and alcohol treatment for young people in trouble with the law.
The new $2.3 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supports the addition of three new Reclaiming Futures sites and also provides technical assistance and training to support the 23 existing Reclaiming Futures communities.
Most teens that end up in juvenile court have a substance abuse problem. But the juvenile court system has not adequately addressed treatment that research has shown helps reduce recidivism, the foundation said.
"This generous new investment – plus the $3.6 million in grants announced by our federal partners last month for juvenile courts that use Reclaiming Futures – lets us test and refine techniques for spreading the Reclaiming Futures model efficiently and effectively," said Laura Nissen, national director of Reclaiming Futures. "It also will bring changes to these communities that will help thousands of young people get the support they need to turn their lives around."
Reclaiming Futures pilot programs have shown results. Pilot communities reported significant improvements in juvenile justice and drug and alcohol treatment and positive change in the way juvenile justice and substance abuse agencies communicate and cooperate.
"The unique approach of Reclaiming Futures – more treatment, better treatment and beyond treatment – recognizes the critical relationships between our health and the environments where we live, work and play," said Kristin Schubert, senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.