Goodwill Industries calls upon key stakeholders -- including state and federal policymakers, judges, law enforcement officials, service providers (including local Goodwill agencies), educators, employers, and victims -- to come together to create an environment that will hold people accountable and support individuals with criminal backgrounds who want to reintegrate into their communities and make positive contributions.

This policy brief details how states can see a net reduction in costs by moving expenditures away from large, congruent care facilities (often called "training schools") for youth and investing in community-based alternatives. Such a resource realignment can reap better results for communities, taxpayers, and children. Evidence is growing that there are cost-effective policies and programs for intervening in the lives of delinquent youth which actually improve community safety and outcomes for children. While there is no silver bullet that will guarantee reductions in crime, policies that include prevention and intervention for youth in the community have been shown to have a positive public safety benefit. Major findings and recommendations for reform are included.

The paper offers five intervention strategies, applicable to both child welfare and juvenile justice: (1) increasing transparency, (2) reengineering structure and procedures, (3) changing organizational culture, (4) mobilizing political leadership, and (5) partnering in developing community and family resources.

These policy recommendations for the 111th Congress and the incoming President will begin to help lift children out of poverty and poor health, keep them safe, elevate our educational system to equip children for the 21st century, and engage youth in the nation's communities. Making the changes proposed in this document can save money, improve health, strengthen families, produce a more educated workforce for coming decades, and lay a base for an America that will thrive into the next century. - September 11, 2008