The Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act (“Youth PROMISE Act”), addresses the root causes of crime, delinquency, and gang violence by focusing on the critical issues underlying gang crime and delinquent conduct.

The bill was sponsored in the House by Representatives Robert C. “Bobby” Scott and Michael Castle (H.R. 1064) and in the Senate by Senators Robert Casey and Olympia Snowe (S. 435). Currently it has over 80 co-sponsors, and broad support from more than 220 national and state organizations.

Under the Youth PROMISE Act, communities facing the greatest youth gang, delinquency and crime challenges will come together to develop and implement a comprehensive local plan to support young people and their families and make our communities safer, reduce victimization, and help at-risk young people to lead law-abiding and healthy lives, free from gangs, delinquency and/or criminal involvement.

The bill was developed with the input and advice of youth advocates, educators, health and mental health practitioners, members of the bar and judiciary, law enforcement leaders and officials (including sheriffs, chiefs of police, prosecutors, and victims), researchers, practitioners, families and youth. The Youth Promise Act does not change the current criminal code, nor does it amend, add, or eliminate any penalties

The Youth PROMISE Act provides for an authorization of 2.9 billion per year over five years. Significantly, the Youth PROMISE Act calls for a thorough evaluation of the local, state and federal expenditures in incarceration and related criminal justice costs made before implementation of the Youth PROMISE Act programs.

After decades of increasing reliance on incarceration, there are currently 2.2 million people in federal and states jails and prisons in the United States. The bill will yield significant cost savings through reduced incarceration and recidivism rates. 100% of all cost savings will be reinvested in the Youth PROMISE Programs. Thus, in time, the Youth PROMISE Act will pay for itself. That fact is significant, in light of the fact that in the US, we currently spend over $65 billion per year on incarceration.

Additionally, the proposed Act provides for thorough evaluation, including analyses of the cost-savings to our society yielded by investing in prevention and intervention rather than in after-the-fact prosecution and incarceration. After decades of increasing reliance on incarceration, there are currently 2.2 million people in federal and states jails and prisons in the United States – more than any other nation – and, according to the most recent Bureau of Justice Statistics, with costs annually equaling $65 billion. The Act will sustain investment in evidence-based prevention and intervention practices by authorizing $2.3 billion per year over five years.

The Youth PROMISE Act’s savings from investments and prevention and intervention programs will be reinvested in promising evidence-based programs aimed at reducing entry into the criminal justice system and reducing our outsized jail and prison population.