DAVENPORT, Iowa — Scott County is working to combat youth-related crime and finding success with a recently-launched family program.
According to Scott County's data, in the past five years, there's been a yearly average of 238 juveniles admitted to the Scott County juvenile detention center.
However, that number has been decreasing and officials said the Coordinated Assessment Program is one reason why.
"Kids get involved in groups or gangs for a reason something is not being met in their life," Family Resources President Nicole Cisne Durbin said. "We typically see our youth and our community start entering the juvenile justice system at around 12."
The Coordinated Assessment Program provides families with resources that help kids avoid a life of crime.
The program began in 2022 and has served over 300 Scott County youth, with 68% of them making behavioral progress.
"This is an opportunity for them to turn things around," Davenport Community School District Superintendent TJ Schneckloth said. "Young youth and adults are going to start making different choices when they have the ability to access a resource that can help guide and help change the path that our students and families are on."
Not only is the program helping families, but Davenport Police Chief Jeff Bladel also said it has helped the Police Department understand the problem.
"This has been a learning experience for law enforcement that there's other issues out there that are potentially leading to the criminal activities and their behaviors," Chief Bladel says. "We're not equipped to understand the full dynamics as some of their family issues are some of the issues that they're experiencing but this is helping us understand those issues."
The program is organized by Family Resources, and organizers say they're hoping to expand the program and start targeting toddlers and infants in hopes to guide them towards the right path.
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