FL Juvenile Justice (DJJ)

ARISE is #1 in the USA in Juvenile Justice Settings

For over a decade in the state of Florida, ARISE has trained and certified over 5,000 Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) staff as ARISE Life-Skills Instructors who then teach important life-skills information to the youth in their charge. ARISE provides all the curriculum materials used to teach life skills. We’ve provided more details about the ARISE juvenile justice program below.

*Letter of endorsement from Frank J. Peterman -- Secretary, Florida Department Of Juvenile Justice -- “ARISE, an Ideal Program for Educating At Risk Youth in Residential, Detention, and Other Facilities”

DJJ Law Studies Summer Project 2009

This motivational video was created by students admitted to a juvenile program in Florida. Faces are not shown because the identities of juvenile offenders are protected. The students range in age from 14-18 and are serving 6 to 9 months. This was a summer school project that asked the youth: “What is required of us to live in a law-abiding society?”

ARISE Articles, Letters, and Endorsements

*Click here to view the flyer for the CHOICES Training session at the Miami Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department

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Please click on the image below to view the ARISE “Simple Acts of Kindness” document for an important tip on helping incarcerated youth.

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Simple Acts of Kindness

Juvenile Justice Staff Training

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (July 1996 Fact Sheet 37), “inadequately trained staff cannot provide effective help.” ARISE provides staff training to juvenile justice facilities interested in educating incarcerated youth in life and social skills.

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Juvenile correctional officers being trained as ARISE Life Skills Instructors

It takes just two days (14 hours) for us to train juvenile officers or any designated staff personnel as ARISE Life Skills Instructors. As a result of the comprehensive training, correctional staff who have never had to “stand and deliver” in front of a group often become more interested and motivated to take an active role in guiding these troubled youth away from a life of crime. The staff then conducts interactive ARISE groups with the youth in their charge. When the youth learn positive life and social skills, this information enables them to make better life choices, reduces the rate of recidivism, and decreases the rate of juvenile crime.

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Congressman Alcee Hastings (center) visits the Palm Beach Juvenile Correctional Facility to deliver a motivational talk to the youth and staff about overcoming challenges and difficult people.

Another beneficial training ARISE has custom designed for juvenile justice staff is the 2-Day ARISE -- “Drop It at the Door” Training. This training is a unique program centered on equipping juvenile justice staff with tools they need to control anger, stress, and tension at work and home. ARISE -- “Drop It at the Door” is specifically designed to help line staff overcome the unique challenges that inhibit optimum performance, cause health problems, excessive absences, compensation claims, burnout, high turnover rates, and conflict between staff and the youth in their care. The feedback we have received from facility administrators about this course has been overwhelmingly positive. Check out the CHOICES testimonials to read all about it.

Click here to view photos of DJJ Facilities where ARISE has provided staff training.

Download the ARISE -- “Drop It at the Door” Training Flyer for DJJ Staff

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Tenderizing Tough Youth with Life Skills

According to a 12/98 report to the Florida Legislature, prepared by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, “The majority of juvenile justice youth do not return to school when released.” Through the winning combination of DJJ staff training and ARISE life-skills lessons, ARISE provides the last best chance of reaching these youth while still under state supervision. We have over 40 life-readiness courses that provide skills in teen anger management, conflict resolution, domestic abuse, dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancy, the tools needed to find a job and keep it, building a support system, required steps in making good decisions, plus lessons on drug, alcohol and tobacco avoidance. All of the 260 ARISE-written and tested life-skills topics lead to youth developing respect for self and society.

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ARISE Co-Founders and staff from Miami-Dade Juvenile Detention Center hold up an ARISE self-esteem poster. This facility teaches ARISE life skills curricula.

So many incarcerated youths have let their anger get the better of them more than once so the first lesson the program teaches is anger management -- how to harness the feelings and the inclination to prevent and control violence. The youth learn techniques for conflict resolution and making positive personal choices, how to speak assertively without being aggressive, and how to solve problems nonviolently. The staff members presenting this information often learn at the same time.

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Girls Initiative: Gender-Specific Awareness Training

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ARISE Girls Initiative Training at the Milton Girls Academy, Milton, FL

In Florida, nearly 30% of juveniles arrested are female (1 out of every 4 is female). Within the past decade, there has been a 67% increase in the numbers of girls behind bars according to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. This is indicative of a national trend. With so many young women suddenly flooding juvenile justice facilities, ARISE established the Girls Initiative: Gender Specific Awareness Training. For more information about this program, please see our Girls Initiative page.

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Benefits of ARISE for DJJ

The benefits of ARISE staff training, curriculum, and group sessions are numerous. By conducting ARISE life-skills groups, the staff and the youth become more understanding of each other and their communication and interpersonal skills improve. This results in less staff on youth conflict, more job satisfaction, less turnover, fewer worker’s compensation claims, and better relationships between the staff and youth. It is a win-win situation and the youth are learning important life skills in a non-confrontational session that improves their feelings of self worth and respect for society.

17 Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Facilities took part in a questionnaire about the benefits of the ARISE Program. Click here to see their responses.

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ARISE Juvenile Justice Program Evaluations and Reports

The success of the ARISE juvenile justice program has been evaluated and documented thoroughly for over two decades.

Most recent reports on the ARISE Juvenile Justice Program:

You will find additional ARISE juvenile justice program evaluations and focus group results compiled by independent evaluators on the evidence-based studies pages. You may also be interested in checking out the ARISE testimonials page, life skills staff training overview, the ARISE life-skills curriculum, and the juvenile justice area of the ARISE photo gallery.

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ARISE Juvenile Justice Photo Gallery

The ARISE Juvenile Justice Photo Gallery is full of pictures highlighting the diverse DJJ staff who teach ARISE life skills to the youth in their care, the trainings we have done in DJJ facilities across the country, and the DJJ facilities that use the ARISE Life Skills Program.

**View the ARISE Juvenile Justice Photo Gallery**

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Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Downloadable Lessons

ARISE Foundation Inc. is pleased to present these downloadable lessons every month for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. (Adobe Reader Required for Download). Download a copy of Adobe Reader here.

*Bonus: Download a copy of the ARISE Handy Dandy Reference Card for quick reminders on facilitating an ARISE group session.

October Lesson:

September Lesson:

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