Youth Environmental Science

The juvenile justice system is being taxed. With institutions increasingly
burdened by the growing number of serious, violent, and chronic offenders, we
must provide alternatives for youth involved in delinquent activity—
alternatives that incorporate appropriate sanctions while providing youth
with necessary services, skills, and opportunities.

The Youth Environmental Service (YES) initiative is one such alternative.
Created through a partnership between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and
the Department of the Interior (DOI), YES enhances youth’s skills through
work and educational programs on Federal land. A YES program can be
designed to intervene at various stages of youth involvement with the system
and to prevent at-risk youth from engaging in delinquent acts. Thus, YES
offers a considerable degree of flexibility in creating a program suited to the
needs of the local community and its youth. Local Federal land managers also
benefit from YES enrollees’ participation in projects and land maintenance
that might not otherwise be completed due to limited staff and resources.