Caddo Parish District Judge Scott Crichton started his "Don't Let This Be You" program in 2007 when he realized a lot of the kids coming through his courtroom did not understand the legal system or the severity of certain crimes.

"I think it educates them about the consequences and hopefully it enlightens them about the perils of misbehaving," Crichton said of his program.

With Caddo Parish spring break scheduled next week, Crichton specifically talks about the types of crimes teens might be tempted with: things like underage drinking and DUI offenses.

Shreveport police say they get more juvenile complaints and loitering calls during long school breaks.

"Generally, we see a spike- not overwhelmingly- but a spike in those numbers," said Cpl. Marcus Hines.

Although a lot of this program's participants have already found themselves on the wrong side of the law once, Crichton said this program is designed to prevent an adulthood of future offenses.

"We're talking about a criminal record," Crichton said. "A criminal record will keep a kid from getting into college. A criminal record may keeps a person from getting a job. So it's serious."

Crichton estimates he has talked to 20,000 juveniles since he started the program.