All Blog Posts
Evidence Matters | Catching Kids Upstream: How Afterschool Programs Reduce Crime and Risky Behavior
by Amy Keely and Cathy Stevens
When we talk about youth crime and risky behavior, the conversation often centers on consequences—what happens after something goes wrong. But what if we focused instead on prevention? What if we invested more in the hours, relationships, and environments that shape young people before they enter the justice system?
In a recent blog post on the school-to-prison pipeline, The Riley Institute’s Kelly Gregory introduced how zero-tolerance disciplinary policies may lead to students dropping out and having fewer future opportunities, potentially leading to more crime. Changing these policies and practices is an important step in improving youth outcomes.
Another is elevating and investing in afterschool programs, which offer one of the most effective, research-backed ways to disrupt this pipeline.
The hours immediately following the school day—typically between 2 and 6 p.m.—are widely recognized as the peak time for juvenile crime and risky behavior. At the same time, more than 15 million children are unsupervised during this window, increasing the likelihood of experimentation with drugs, alcohol, and other high-risk activities.
These are not just hours of risk—they are hours of opportunity. Afterschool programs step into this critical window with the approach of prevention over punishment.
Most afterschool programming falls squarely into this prevention category. Programs keep kids safe and engaged during the hours when parents are often still at work, and their impact goes far beyond supervision. High-quality programs reinforce school-day learning and connect classroom concepts to real-world experiences, build social skills, and expose youth to new opportunities—from the arts to career exploration to civic engagement. Rather than relying on zero-tolerance policies that remove students from learning environments without addressing root causes, afterschool programs “catch kids upstream” and try to understand why a young person may be struggling.
These protective factors matter. Longitudinal evidence and randomized control trials show that young people who participate regularly in high-quality afterschool programs display improved social skills and positive relationships with peers and adults, higher civic engagement and pro-social behavior, healthier adult lifestyles, and—notably—reductions in risky behaviors, substance use, and arrests (Vandell, D.L., and Simpkins, S., 2024).
In South Carolina, this approach is already taking shape through targeted afterschool initiatives.
Funded by the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice’s (SCDJJ) Teen Afterschool Center grant (TASC), the Performing Arts & Science Academy (PASA) in Marion, South Carolina believes in the philosophy of “maximizing activity to minimize risk.“ Ranking fifth in the state in violent crime, there’s a real reason for Marion County programs to keep youth busy doing positive activities.
PASA engages teens in dance classes, a structured teen pregnancy prevention program, college tours, recreation like basketball and track, dining etiquette, and tutoring. In a small, rural county where jobs are scarce for teens, PASA even hires them to work in their summer food service program. Exposing youth to these varied opportunities consumes their idle time, helps prevent them from finding trouble, and prepares them for life after graduation.
On the opposite side of the state, the picturesque horse-country town of Aiken, South Carolina has seen at least six teens killed by gun violence, with several others wounded, in the past five years. Another SCDJJ TASC site, housed at Second Baptist Church in Aiken, encourages youth to engage with their community rather than battle against it.
Key components of the teen center include openly sharing struggles and successes with peers and mentors, practicing communication skills by meeting with local legislators and community leaders, and giving back by building, fundraising for, and regularly stocking “Blessing Boxes” with food for their neighbors. The program has garnered the attention of the City of Aiken, which regularly shares their efforts in its communications, highlighting the good these young people are doing and positioning them as valued, empowered members of their community.
These programs reflect what research consistently shows: when young people are given safe spaces, caring adults, and meaningful opportunities, they are far less likely to engage in behaviors that lead to justice system involvement—and far more likely to build positive futures.
What’s more, these kinds of programs are not short-term fixes—they are long-term investments in healthier, safer communities. It goes without saying that we want to help all young people avoid the justice system and prison on principle. But there’s also a big-picture reason to invest in prevention efforts. The lifetime effects of a criminal record can be devastating for individuals and society. Second-chance employment after prison is incredibly difficult to find, often leading to a cascading series of related challenges (unstable housing, child custody issues, falling short of probation requirements, etc.) that put many on a path back into the carceral system.
Ultimately, reducing crime is not just about enforcement—it is about investment.
Amy Keely is The Riley Institute’s director of the South Carolina Afterschool Leaders Empowered (SCALE) Fellowship. Previously, Keely worked in Greenville’s nonprofit sector for nearly 23 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Western Carolina University and was a recipient of the Young Alumna Award. She is also a 2023 Riley Fellow with the Diversity Leaders Initiative. She can be reached at [email protected].
Cathy Stevens is a senior associate with The Riley Institute. Prior to serving as senior associate, Stevens was the director of the White-Riley-Peterson Afterschool Policy Fellowship for 11 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration. She was also named among the Top 50 Women Leaders of South Carolina for 2024. She can be reached at [email protected].