The institutes tailor each program to the geographical strengths of each community, using the ocean, wilderness, rivers, and lakes to develop exciting curricula that challenge and motivate youths to attend. Oceanography, earth sciences, diving, seamanship, aquatics, physical education, academic, and vocational education are some of the classes you may see in a weekly schedule. After attending the program, each child is placed in school, a job or the armed forces. Over seventy percent of the children that attend will never be convicted of a crime again. Youths are monitored for three years after they graduate to offer assistance and to help the staff compile statistics on their successes.
Aftercare coordinators pick up where the staff at the local institute left off.
The aftercare program was first started in 1982 with the Florida Environmental Institute for violent and serious offenders. Aftercare is now a vital part of each institute s components. In September 1993, Attorney Janet Reno and President Bill Clinton visited the Pinellas Marine Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. In a nationally televised program where he announced his crime bill, the President said, These programs are giving young people a chance to take their future back, a chance to understand that there is good inside them. Change is not forced.