Program Goals
Avon Park Youth Academy (APYA), opened in 1998, was a secure-custody residential facility managed by Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). The APYA was considered the largest medium-security facility in the state, with a capacity of 200. Youths lived in 12 fully equipped duplexes on a former Air Force base and were responsible for maintaining their households, yards, and the appearance of the campus. APYA provided specialized, remedial education and intensive vocational training to moderate-risk youth. The goals of APYA were to 1) provide education and job training, and 2) improve life and community living skills to facilitate self-sufficiency and a prosocial lifestyle. An enhanced reentry component STREET Smart (Success, Transition Assistance, Reduce Recidivism, Employment, Education, Training), was added to the residential program to provide community support and educational and vocational services to APYA participants on a voluntary basis after their release to the community.
Targeted Population
APYA was designed to serve moderate-risk (as determined by the court) male youths 16 years and older. Youths admitted to APYA were viewed as candidates for independent living situations upon successfully completing the program. To be eligible for APYA, youths must have met several other criteria: 1) had an IQ of 70 or above; 2) had a need for and interest in vocational training; 3) was not diagnosed with a significant mental health or substance use disorder; 4) was not prescribed psychotropic medication; 5) did not have a history of escape, absconding, or aggressive behavior; and 6) did not have a significant medical condition or physical disability.
Program Components
The residential aspect of APYA was made up of two components (educational and vocational) to equip youth with “real world” work experience. The educational component of APYA was the Second Chance School, which operated under the direction of the Polk County Public School District. The objectives were for each youth at the school to attain a vocational certificate and a high school diploma or equivalent. The curriculum included comprehensive pre-vocational, vocational, and academic remediation services. Services were individualized, performance-based, and included pre- and post-assessment, computer literacy training, and special education services.
The vocational training component of APYA was the Home Builders Institute (HBI), which provided youths with the opportunity to practice skills learned during supervised community service, on-the-job training, and paid employment in plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, building and apartment maintenance, and landscaping. Approximately 80 percent of the day was spent on developing employable skills and vocational trades. To be certified in a specific trade, the participant had to have logged a total of 870 work hours in that trade. Additional training in culinary arts, desktop publishing, flooring, masonry, horticulture, auto maintenance, and auto detailing was available.
The STREET Smart (SS) component provided wraparound services from the beginning of a youth’s entry into APYA through 12 months after release. SS was designed to sustain the services offered at APYA by providing individualized transition services such as employment searches, job contacts, housing support, transportation support, mental health/substance use services, and educational placement. The SS program placed special emphasis on the use of incentives such as gift certificates to restaurants, movie passes, and electronic gifts. The program provided a vehicle for a youth’s seamless movement from residential placement to living and working in the community. SS transition specialists served as links between APYA staff and SS community specialists. Transition specialists worked with youths throughout their residential placement to enhance their skills training, provide transition planning and preparation, and introduce them to their community specialists. In addition to the needs assessments and performance plans completed by APYA staff, SS staff also completed needs assessments for youths at several points in the program: upon entry to APYA, prior to a transitional home visit, and 10 days prior to a youth’s release from APYA. Community specialists maintained relationships with the youths’ families, employers, juvenile justice staff, local workforce boards, school-to-work partnerships, and community service organizations.
