The Gould-Wysinger Awards: A Tradition of Excellence.
Series: OJJDP
Published: August 1996
3 pages
14,449 bytes

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention (OJJDP) 

Shay Bilchik, Administrator

Fact Sheet #44

The Gould-Wysinger Awards: A Tradition of
Excellence

by Michael Goodnow

A primary goal of the Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is to identify
and promote programs that enhance the field of
juvenile justice. Sound programs are essential to
developing effective strategies that address the
needs of at-risk and delinquent youth. Since 1992,
the Gould-Wysinger Awards have commended
exceptional State and local achievement in
advancing juvenile justice and delinquency
prevention. Created by OJJDP to pay tribute to
James Gould and Deborah Wysinger, who contributed
significantly to the welfare of the Nation's youth
during their careers as OJJDP juvenile justice
professionals, the awards recognize federally
funded youth service programs and projects that
advance the objectives of the Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974, as
amended, and promote a standard of excellence for
program development and implementation in juvenile
justice and delinquency prevention.

For 1995, OJJDP implemented a new procedure that
allowed States to nominate programs for the
following categories: 

o Delinquency Prevention, including programs,
research, or other initiatives designed to reduce
the incidence of delinquent acts and directed to
the general population of juveniles who are at risk
of becoming delinquent. 

o Intervention, including programs providing
educational, social, psychological, vocational, and
medical services; corrective and preventive
guidance and training; and other rehabilitative
services designed to support development of
children's competencies while protecting the
public. 

o System Improvement, including programs, research,
and other initiatives to examine issues and improve
policies and procedures in the juvenile justice
system. 

The following programs, all in the intervention
category, were designated 1995 Gould-Wysinger Award
winners.

Utah Community Service and Restitution Program
(Salt Lake City, Utah)

The Utah Community Service and Restitution Program
began in May 1986 and has shown growth both in the
percentage of restitution collected for victims of
juvenile crime and in the number of community
service hours completed. In 1995 the program
collected $1,108,103 in restitution and logged
502,400 hours of community service. As a pilot site
for an OJJDP research study in 1992, the program
demonstrated that juveniles who take responsibility
for their actions by paying restitution, performing
community service hours, or doing both are less
likely to reoffend than are juveniles without
sanctions.

Program contact: Michael Phillips, Deputy Court
Administrator, Utah Juvenile Court, 230 South 500
East-Suite 300, Salt Lake City, UT 84102; 801-578-
3800.

Arlington County Juvenile Sex Offender Program
(Arlington, Virginia) 

The Arlington County Juvenile Sex Offender Program
is a comprehensive treatment approach involving the
adolescent offender, the offender's family, and
significant systems within the community. The
program intervenes with young offenders to reduce
the likelihood that their behavior will escalate
into more serious, violent sexual deviance. Program
staff are intensively trained by national experts
in sex offender treatment and sex offender case
management. A recent evaluation of this program
demonstrated that 91 percent of juveniles who
participated did not reoffend.

Program contact: Audrey B. Chase, Program Director,
Arlington County Juvenile Sex Offender Program,
Department of Human Services, MHMRSAS Division,
1725 North George Mason Drive, Arlington, VA 22205;
703-358-5000.

The BRIDGE (Atlanta, Georgia)

The BRIDGE is an intermediate-level, residential
psychiatric treatment program in a depressed
Atlanta neighborhood recently designated a Federal
Empowerment Zone. The BRIDGE serves troubled
adolescents with a history of physical and sexual
abuse. Nearly all BRIDGE youth are involved with
the juvenile justice system and are placed in the
program as an alternative to incarceration. This
coeducational program is one of Georgia's few
resources for adolescent female offenders with
mental health issues. It provides comprehensive
treatment for youth involved with or at risk of
substance abuse, gangs, physical and sexual abuse,
sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV infection.
The BRIDGE also offers a comprehensive alternative
school and an extensive aftercare program. OJJDP
recently awarded a $100,000 Challenge Grant for its
continuation. 

Program contact: Ann Starr, Program Director, The
BRIDGE, 1559 Johnson Road NW., Atlanta, GA 30318;
404-792-0070.

Numerous programs were nominated for the 1995
Gould-Wysinger Awards by juvenile justice
professionals across the country. The selection
process was highly competitive. All nominations
identified programs that address substantial needs
in the community and reflect a strong commitment to
working with the Nation's youth.

For Further Information

For further information regarding the Gould-
Wysinger Awards and the nomination process, contact
Michael Goodnow, Coordinator, Gould-Wysinger
Awards, at 202-307-5929.

Michael Goodnow is a Social Science Program
Specialist in OJJDP's Research and Program
Development Division.

FS-9644