For several years, Anne Rambo, Ph.D., faculty in the Department of Family Therapy (DFT) in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), and DFT student interns have been an integral part of a collaborative intervention and prevention program through the Broward County Public School District called Preventing Recidivism through Opportunities, Mentoring, Interventions, Support & Education (PROMISE).
PROMISE was designed to assist Broward County students who have committed non-violent infractions by providing counseling, mentoring and behavioral support. Rather than an arrest, these students will be referred to PROMISE. Rambo coordinates DFT interns who provide family therapy services. Other partners include the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), the Department of Juvenile Justice and others.
In the 2011-12 academic year there were 1,000 school-related arrests in Broward County, which was the highest number in Florida. Then PROMISE was started in 2013. In just over a year, the number of arrests dropped dramatically – in the 2014-2015 academic year, fewer than 500 students were arrested in Broward County and the county now has one of the lowest arrest rates in Florida.