Bridget A. Dinvaut, District Attorney for St. John the Baptist Parish and Wayne L. Jones Professional Consulting Services, L.L.C. has partnered to establish St. John P.R.O.U.D. St. John P.R.O.U.D. is a crime prevention initiative of the St. John the Baptist Parish District Attorney’s office aimed at public safety and public welfare. It is a proactive and progressive approach to Louisiana’s Criminal Justice Reforms which targeted the high rate of incarceration and high costs in public dollars. St. John P.R.O.U.D. is created to prevent and minimize criminal activity among young adults transitioning from high school to the work force. Simply stated, the focus is to keep young people out of jail and put them to work in above minimum wage jobs, which exposes them to growth and development in industry careers right here at home. This initiative further addresses a growing local work force readiness concern and a recent trend in criminal activity among individuals between the ages of 17 and 25 years, who without meaningful economic opportunities and exposure to constructive work place ethics and development have the potential of becoming involved in the criminal justice system. Young Millennials not prepared for life after high school are increasingly becoming involved in criminal activity, which threatens the vitality of our community. Even though high crime rates are trending across geographical areas, the root causes and factors are similar. Chiefly among those factors are the lack of access to economic opportunities and/or the lack of training resources to prepare young adults for self-sufficiency and provide a foundation to develop a brighter future.