By Paris Jackson

EUGENE, Ore--Getting troubled teens back on the right track is not only important for that individual youth, but also for society as a whole.

Good rehabilitation for at-risk youth prevents them from becoming repeat offenders.

Juvenile Justice Center Managers said if they're able to engage troubled youth through education and employment--that reduces the likelihood they'll become repeat offenders.

The Department of Youth Services has several programs for youth, ages 12-to-17, who have gotten into trouble and need to get back on track.

The Martin Luther King Education Center has the resources for these teens.

Programs such as credit recovery classes, GED classes and many vocational programs, some in Horticulture and Culinary Arts.

Managers said the goal of youth services is to make sure at-risk teen's transition back into day-to-day life is safe and successful.

"What we've come to find out--is that you don't punish kids into success, you teach success. You remove barriers to their success," MLK Education Center Principal Matthew Sterner said.

"If the barrier to their success is a lack of education, than we provide that service," Sterner added.

Sterner said the recidivism rate of their program is key. The Department of Youth Services evaluated 3,000 criminal referrals and found 80% of youth won't commit a crime again. However, 20% of those teens are chronic offenders.

Over last year, DYS was able to shrink that number to 16% and prevent 800 to 1,000 crimes. Which saves the county about $20,000.

If you want to learn more about the MLK Education Center, a holiday meal feed is set for December 10th. It's free and open to the public. Managers encourage families and anyone, who wants to learn more about their services to attend.