In Missouri, the juvenile justice system looks very different than in most states. Here, troubled teens are viewed not as inmates but as works in progress. Rather than being locked away in juvenile jails, young people are place in home-like settings where they attend group therapy, drug rehabilitation if needed and family therapy session.

"The results? About 8.6 percent of teens who complete Missouri's program are incarcerated in adult prisons within three years of release, according to 2006 figures. (In New York, 75 percent are re-arrested as adults, 42 percent for a violent felony.)"

There's no timetable for the program, which means that teens are released only when they make a certain amount of progress. Knowing this pushes the teens to fully engage in the program.

Labels: jails, therapy, treatment_programs