Missouri DYS a national model

While there are plenty of areas to criticize government for its inefficiencies, it's nice to highlight areas where legitimate progress is being made. Missouri's Division of Youth Services (DYS) and its Missouri Model is one such example.

Tuesday afternoon, as part of the two-day DYS advisory board meeting in Cape Girardeau, board members toured the Echo Community Resource Center and Girardot Center for Youth and Families.

The success of the Missouri Model can be attributed in part to its facilities. Unlike most state models, Missouri has broken away from prisonlike institutions for smaller and regionally dispersed centers.

In addition to the facilities, treatment options are multilayered and have been effective in changing behavior. Missouri's recidivism rate of youths is consistently one of the best in the nation. In fact, three years after discharge, two-thirds of DYS youths avoid contact with the justice system.

In addition to behavioral change, the academic progress among these formerly troubled youths is also impressive. Forty-four percent of DYS youths complete their high school diploma or GED before discharge. The national average, by comparison, is only 12 percent.

In 2008, Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government recognized Missouri DYS with its "Innovations in American Government" award in children and family system reform. Others have also noted the success of Missouri's approach.

We're happy to welcome the DYS advisory board to Cape Girardeau and are proud of the Missouri Model's success. Changing the behavior of troubled youths is important not only to the individuals and their families, but also to our community, state and nation.