300 Iberia Street
Suite 200
New Iberia, LA 70560
While realizing the problems youth in the area face, Louisiana’s 16th Judicial District Attorney, in partnership with the school systems in Iberia, St. Martin and St. Mary parishes, implemented the Early Intervention Program in September 2000. The program was later renamed the Prosecutor’s Early Intervention Program (PEIP). The PEIP provides case management, counseling, evidence based programming and other services to students in all 50 elementary schools and seven identified high-risk middle schools in the district.
The purpose of this grant is to develop a model middle school intervention program for status
offending youth and youth with minor delinquency charges, with the ultimate goal of reducing the
number of youth entering the juvenile justice system. An additional goal of this initiative is to work with the MacArthur Foundation, the National Resource Bank and local partners to standardize and
evaluate the PEIP middle school program. The PEIP would then serve as a model for other
communities striving to improve access to community-based services for youth so that at-risk youth
can be identified and treated before they enter the juvenile justice system.
Progress to Date
The 16th Judicial District has made great progress in the areas of evidence screening and
assessment. With the assistance of its National Resource Bank partners, the PEIP has incorporated
several evidence-based screening and assessment instruments, including MAYSI-II, SAVRY and
BASC, into the program to aid staff in identifying the risks and needs of youth in the areas of
delinquency and violence, as well as to screen and assess youth for mental health issues. The
addition of Functional Family Therapy to the program greatly enhanced the existing service pool,
which includes other evidence-based programs, such as the Parenting Wisely Program, Strengthening Families Program, Positive Adolescent Choice Training and Student Created
Aggression Replacement Education.
PEIP staff has also incorporated evidence-based strategies in its approaches to dealing with youth
and families. Motivational Interviewing and Engagement is being used by staff in all conferences and
contacts with program participants. Program counselors are utilizing more cognitive behavior
treatment in counseling sessions.
Preliminary data analyzed by the Office of Juvenile Justice in Lafayette indicate the 16th Judicial
District is seeing a reduction in the number of youth entering the system since the program’s
inception. The number of middle school-age youth sent to court by the Families in Need of Services
Committee has declined, as has the number of youth adjudicated delinquent in the district, according
to district court data.
Site Leadership
For more information about the Models for Change grant to the 16th Judicial District Family Service
Division, contact Christine Broussard at 337.369.3804 or at christinebroussard@cox-internet.com.