San Diego CHOICE Program
When Jose turned 15, his grades started slipping. His attendance at school was intermittent. He started experimenting with recreational drugs and was caught shoplifting. His single working mother was having difficulty managing him at home. After appearing before the juvenile court, Jose was assigned to the San Diego CHOICE Program. The mission of CHOICE is to see that Jose is regularly attending school, abstaining from drug use, and addressing all conditions of his court order.
The San Diego CHOICE Program was initiated by Juvenile Judge James Milliken and members of the Board of Supervisors who mobilized the county in response to the Weingart Foundation's challenge to institute reforms in the San Diego Juvenile Justice System.
CHOICE gives young people a second chance by providing intensive casework services. Youth enrolled in the CHOICE Program are monitored daily--at home, in school and around their neighborhood--often receiving three to five face-to-face contacts a day. "This program makes teens accountable for their actions and provides them with a mentor who cares" states Supervisor Bill Horn.
The staff configuration is a unique element of CHOICE. Youth Service Workers are assigned to three-person teams working in a relay fashion to assure that multiple individual contacts are made with groups of 24 to 30 youths. Service teams monitor school attendance, check that the youth is in by curfew, assist with homework, and organize recreational and cultural activities. Workers assist parents by supporting responsible parental authority and helping with a range of family advocacy issues. By June 1997, more than 29,000 direct contacts had been made by service workers.
San Diego CHOICE is a replication of the nationally acclaimed program of Shriver Center at the University of Maryland. The program is administered by the June Burnett Institute for Children, Youth and Families at the San Diego State University Foundation. The Weingart challenge grant catalyzed a public/private funding partnership between the Foundation and the County of San Diego. The service delivery partnership includes the County Probation Department, the County Department of Social Services, the June Burnett Institute and the Shriver Center. CHOICE is now an identified component in the county's strategic plans to serve troubled youth.
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A Second Chance for Juvenile Offenders
The Weingart Foundation pledged $2 million to the partnership, with the county pledging $8 million over the five years of the pilot project.
San Diego CHOICE began in September 1996 as a pilot program. Assuming it fulfills its great promise, CHOICE is expected to be greatly expanded by the County at the end of the five-year period. The program assists youth and their families who reside in high-need areas in Mid-City San Diego and North San Diego County (Escondido). As of July 1997, 175 youths had been enrolled. When the program is at full capacity, the objective is to serve 500 youths annually.