CHICAGO (AP) — A summer jobs program that engaged mentors to help troubled kids in Chicago stay on track is linked with a big reduction in youth arrests for violent crimes.

The results suggest that a low-cost public program can reap big benefits. The findings also support arguments that employment alone cannot resolve poverty-related ills.

The study’s author and other experts say the results are promising.

Chicago’s eight-week program began in 2012 and gives jobs to thousands of disadvantaged kids. The study involved the first year and found 43 percent fewer violent crime arrests for kids involved, compared with a control group.

The study was released Thursday by the journal Science.