WISE DISTRIBUTES $2 MILLION TO HELP BATTLE JUVENILE CRIME

Grant Money Will Fund Staff Training Programs, New Information Technology
Throughout W.Va.

HUNTINGTON -- Gov. Bob Wise has awarded nearly $2 million in grant funds to
address the growing problem of juvenile crime in the state.

The funds from the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant Program
are focused on juvenile detention and corrections staff training,
accountability-based sanction programs for juvenile offenders, specialized
juvenile prosecution, court and probation programs, and interagency
information sharing programs and technology.

The Division of Criminal Justice Services administers the program from
funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The funds were distributed to the following units of local government in
Cabell and Wayne counties:

. Cabell County Commission: $37,000 of continued funding for a juvenile
assistant prosecutor in Cabell County to increase the expediency,
effectiveness and efficiency of moving violent and repeat juvenile
offenders through the court system.

. City of Huntington: $30,000 of continued funding for an intensive
supervision program for youthful offenders to provide an alternative to
incarceration/institutionalization for youth under court supervision who
have committed delinquent acts and to provide aftercare services to youth
returning to the community from residential/institutional settings.

. West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals: $107,500 of continued funding for
the Cabell County Juvenile Drug Court in which substance-abusing juvenile
offenders will receive treatment rather than punishment. The program
requires cooperation among youths, their families, the court system and the
community. The grant will fund two probation officers and a project director.

. West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals: $17,000 to provide for the
L'Ecole de Confiance program for middle and high school age female juvenile
offenders under the supervision of the Cabell County Probation Department.
Funding will be used for the girls to attend a summer camp at the High
Rocks Academy, where they participate in educational classes and
self-awareness groups.

. West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals: $18,000 of continued funding for
the L'Ecole de Confiance program for middle and high school age female
juvenile offenders under the supervision of the Cabell County Probation
Department. The girls attend weekly meetings where they participate in
tutoring, meal preparation, dinner and cleanup, and an activity designed to
improve self-esteem. They also attend a summer camp at High Rocks Academy.

. Wayne County Board of Education: $40,000 of continued funding to provide
the Wayne County Board of Education with two full-time positions: a
full-time PRO in Spring Valley High School, and a counselor/aftercare
specialist in the Alternative School. The certified staff counselor will
develop and implement a creative support program of counseling,
coordination and development of individual aftercare consultation and
assistance.