NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- During Channel 4's year-long commitment that followed the increase in juvenile crime, the station noticed that many of the young and lawless have one thing in common: an absent dad.

Video: Fathers Search For Answers To Deter Youth Crime

Between two jobs and being a single dad, Andre Jackson feared his children would make the same mistakes he made when he was a youth.

So Jackson came to the Beythel Family Church to attend a unique program that teaches fathers how to keep their children out of jail.

The absence of fathers is often blamed for the rise in violent juvenile crime in Nashville.

Take for instance Ceddrick Huddleson, 17, who was charged this year with murder. The teen’s mother admitted to Channel 4 that his father was never in his life.

Rev. Rueben Dockery, a minister and researcher, developed a fatherhood education program aimed primarily a black fathers, encouraging them to pass their own life lessons to their children.

"(The program is about) being able to associate their hardships as a male with what their children will likely face when they get to that point," said Dockery.

Jackson is a proud graduate of the program, knowing if he isn't around to be dad what will take his place.

"A lot of our youth grow up in households without fathers, so the streets become a surrogate father for them. The streets raise them up," said Jackson.