Helping young people who have a history of problems find direction is what the Dallas County Juvenile Court’s mentoring program is all about, District Judge Bob Armstrong said.

Since it was implemented, the program has continued to make strides in reducing the number of juvenile crimes and repeat offenders.

“We have reduced juvenile crime by 66 percent, and violent juvenile crime is down 67 percent,” Armstrong said. “That is awesome. Juvenile court used to be packed, so these programs have had a tremendous impact.”

The program is part of what Armstrong calls a “system of service,” which establishes a compass network.

The network, Armstrong said, helps juveniles find direction..

“We use that to lead them down the right path,” he said. “We point them in the right direction and find the right way to go. It shoots them to the right place so they can get the help they need.”

As part of the program, Armstrong said the court partners with different companies and organizations in town to establish jobs and pair them with adults who can provide a positive example.

When Armstrong first took his seat in 2004, he said he wanted to build a strategy based on “fair, firm and consistent accountability when kids come before the court.”

To do  so, he established a number of programs along with the mentoring program which include Teen Court, Safe School Challenge, Juvenile Conference Committee, Juvenile Drug Court, summer Employment and the Recreation Program for at-risk youth, requiring juveniles to clean up the community as part of their punishment, among others.

Armstrong also has a Fatherhood Initiative Program, which helps fathers find employment, get job training and requires classes on how to be a better fathers.

A Family Drug Court program, to help parents who have lost custody of their children because of substance abuse get sober and regain custody, has also been established.

All of these programs, Armstrong said, are making their mark in the community.

“I think they have had a tremendous impact,” he said. “We’ve been excited about the mentoring program and every program.”