The Youth PROMISE Act

By Matthew Albracht

There is a wave of innovative and transformative work happening in our communities around the nation, programs that uplift and empower our youth, steering the most at-risk away from violence and crime, towards leading fulfilling lives and becoming productive members of society. The Youth PROMISE Act is a bill before congress that will help empower and fund many of these programs.  It needs your support, by contacting your elected officials today - click here.  

Were you aware that in the United States, homicide frequently ranks as the 2nd leading cause of death for youths aged 10 – 24 years old? A good case could be made that many of our own neighborhoods are effectively war zones. In fact, research has shown that many youth in these communities struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder at similar levels to what’s experienced by returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. It’s one of the great and too-often ignored tragedies of our time -- and it’s happening in our own neighborhoods.  

Thankfully, there are many modalities emerging in communities across our nation that are very effectively dealing with youth crime and violence, as well as bullying, school delinquency and other related issues. They focus on prevention and healing-oriented or restorative intervention practices that help empower and uplift our kids, helping to stem some of the suffering they are experiencing.

Below are a few key highlighted programs that show these are not only more effective than traditional punitive approaches, they also save lives and money for communities. Access a printable version of this Factsheet here.

$50 benefit for every $1 invested:

According to a recent report on the economic benefit of evidence-based prevention programs, LifeSkills Training (LST) programs produced a $50 benefit for every $1 invested in terms of reduced corrections costs, welfare and social services burden, and drug and mental health treatment; and increased employment and tax revenue – and up to 42% reduction in physical and verbal violence.

$3 to $13 benefit for every $1 invested:


A major study by the nonpartisan Washington State Institute for Public Policy found that for every dollar spent on county juvenile detention systems, $1.98 of “benefits” was achieved in terms of reduced crime and costs of crime to taxpayers. By contrast, diversion and mentoring programs produced $3.36 of benefits for every dollar spent, aggression replacement training produced $10 of benefits for every dollar spent, and multi-systemic therapy produced $13 of benefits for every dollar spent.

Recidivism rates down to under 10%:


After the Longmont Community Justice Partnership (in Longmont Colorado) implemented its Community Restorative Justice Program, recidivism rates dropped to less than 10% in its first three years.

Violence Drops by 65%:

In West Philadelphia High School, within two years of implementing a Restorative Discipline program, incidents of assault and disorderly conduct dropped by more than 65%.

These are but a few examples. There are thousands of heroic programs at work in our communities across the nation. That being said, most are vastly underfunded and not robust enough to adequately meet the challenges we face. It’s time to change course and make these types of programs our cultural norm.

For better or worse, our governments are the primary method of how we collectively organize ourselves. If we want to effect policy that reflects these more forward thinking and leading edge programs, it will require some amount of time and energy invested in pushing for the things that we, as peace supporters value.  

The Youth PROMISE Act is one such measure that we could each support by contacting our Members of Congress - click here. Please contact your Members of Congress today and urge them to support The Youth PROMISE Act. It’s a step in the right direction.

The Youth PROMISE Act (S. 1307 & HR 1318) is bipartisan legislation that uses community decision-making and proven programs to prevent youth violence. In our most troubled areas, this bill will reduce crime and strengthen communities.

This Act will interrupt the cradle to prison pipeline by funding, implementing, and evaluating an array of evidence-based, locally controlled youth and gang violence prevention and intervention practices. Programs will include proven violence prevention practices, such as mentoring and after-school programs, as well as some of the more innovative and systemic approaches described above -- that have been shown to reduce crime more effectively and at a lower cost than incarceration.

This bill helps ensure we are funding programs that save lives and give every young person the opportunity to meet his or her potential.  Contact your Members of Congress today by signing the petition at www.youthpromiseaction.org.  For maximum impact, follow-up with a phone call, the capitol switchboard is: (202) 224-3121.

Our kids deserve nothing less.  

Matthew Albracht is the Executive Vice President, Director of Programs and Communications of The Peace Alliance. Matthew has worked with The Peace Alliance since its founding in 2004 in various roles as it’s grown, including: Managing Director, Executive Director and now Executive Vice President and Director of Programs and Communications. Prior to The Peace Alliance, Matthew worked as Managing Director of the Global Renaissance Alliance and on various campaigns to help create a more just and sustainable world. He is a Huffington Post blogger and the author of the book “Living Out Loud! Young Adults, Finding our Purpose, Shaping a Better World.”

He has a B.A. in psychology from Sonoma State University in California, focusing on Ecopsychology.  He also has an M.A. in Humanities and Leadership with a focus on Culture, Ecology and Sustainable Community from New College of California.