Governor's Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee
Awards $95,000 to the Township of Edison's Department of Health and Human Resources

TRENTON - The New Jersey Governor's Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Committee has awarded a grant to the Township of Edison to expand delinquency prevention services to young people who are considered at-risk of delinquent behavior. The award is in the amount of $95,000.

This Prevention Program is designed to reduce the risk factors associated with delinquent behavior. The program entitled, "Middle School BRIDGES (Building Relationships In Diverse Groups of Edison Students)", will be presented at the Herbert Hoover, Thomas Jefferson, Woodrow Wilson, and John Adams middle schools of Edison Township. Students will engage in four different sub-programs: Extended Services Schools (ESS), CASA Striving Together to Achieve Rewarding Tomorrows (START), Project Achieve and Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BEST). ESS is an after-school recreation program that provides tutoring and homework assistance. The CASASTART program allows community and school organizations work together to provide social support for the students. Project Achieve provides parent training and behavioral consultation. The BEST program focuses on the prevention and elimination of risk factors associated with substance abuse.

"First, I would like to thank the JJDP Committee for approving the Edison Middle School BRIDGES grant. This funding will allow Edison to provide comprehensive after school programming to disaffected youth throughout all four of our middle schools. Our goal is to prevent substance abuse, violence, and delinquency through mentoring, tutoring, recreation, education and counseling services across a continuum of seven years," said Lisa Gulla, Project Director, Edison Middle School BRIDGES Program.

The Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC), as the designated planning authority for the allocation of federal grant funds, works with the JJDP Committee to identify youth serving appropriate programs, award funds and monitor their success. The JJDP Committee is responsible for the distribution of more than $3 million in federal grant awards annually to local and state agencies. The JJDP Committee reviews proposals for programs that aim to reduce delinquency and/or seek to create local delinquency prevention strategies. Programs that receive funding work with individuals, families and communities to reduce the risk factors associated with delinquency. Programs that demonstrate success are eligible for continued funding for a maximum of three consecutive years.

"The JJC is committed to helping local communities address the specific needs of their young people. We are proud to be part of a partnership that takes a proactive approach to help adolescents and their families," said Howard L. Beyer, Executive Director, JJC. "We know that the earlier we reach out to children, the better chance we have of ensuring that they lead productive lives."

Created in 1995 to unite services for delinquent young people, the JJC is the single state agency responsible for providing juvenile correctional rehabilitation and parole services. The JJC also funds local prevention programs that divert young people from involvement in the juvenile justice system.

The project is monitored by staff from the Program Development and Prevention Services arm of the JJC's Office of Local Programs and Services.

For more information on the JJC, please visit www.njjjc.com