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In Search of Law and Order: Reclaiming America's Kids examines the pioneering efforts of three communities working to keep troubled youth from becoming lifetime wards of the justice system: Boston, Massachusetts; Fort Worth, Texas; and Richmond, California. By taking a look at the initiatives explored in In Search of Law and Order , you can use this series to begin brainstorming about new methods for dealing with youth in your own community. Below is a brief explanation of the initiatives highlighted in each part of the series, including contact information. Within each section, key themes are in ORANGE.
INTRODUCTION
The end of the 20th century marks 100 years since the United States decided that juvenile offenders should be treated differently than adults. Today the very nature of the separate system of juvenile justice is coming under attack. Across the country, states are enacting "tougher" laws calling for the prosecution of youths in adult courts and the imposition of lengthy, often mandatory periods of incarceration. Juvenile justice history in the United States clearly indicates that treating juveniles as adults does little to promote healthy social development or even prevent future offending.1
In the mid 1980's and early 1990's, the media bombarded Americans with facts showing that juvenile violent crime had increased. Public fear soared. And although statistics now show that the past few years have brought a decrease in all violent crime, including juvenile offenses, many people still feel afraid and confused. Too few solutions are explored and all too often Americans are left with the sense that we are powerless to reclaim our children.
Hard evidence shows that the real solutions include preventive, rehabilitative, and restorative alternatives to punitive approaches for youthful offenders. The communities that are successfully curtailing juvenile crime realize that investing in our youth is crucial. Kids need good educations, stable families, jobs--a stake in their own futures. The good news is that many communities are taking positive steps to create innovative ways to deal with high risk youth.
OVERARCHING THEMES OF THE SERIES
EVERY ADULT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Every adult has the capability and responsibility to make a difference. Each effort in the life of a child, no matter how small it may seem, enhances the chances of a healthy, productive future.
PUBLIC SAFETY IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
The justice system was not designed to create public safety because it reacts to crimes only after they have been committed. To make neighborhoods truly safe we need to break the cycle of crime and violence by responding to the needs of youth and families in crisis. The most effective ways of doing so requires teamwork and partnership--not only among justice agencies but between them and community-based groups. Effective methods include a variety of collaborative approaches teaming up law enforcement and other government agencies, as well as comprehensive support services (known as wrap-around services) for the family, including mentoring, job programs, health care, parenting classes, teen pregnancy prevention, and others.
EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVES TO PRISON DO EXIST
It costs $30,000 a year to keep a juvenile locked up. Many states have therefore developed community-based alternatives to prison that have proven successful in #FF9830ucing recidivism and helping young people develop into productive citizens.
The criminal justice system has an important role to play in maintaining society's values and safety, but only a small proportion of offenders are actually punished through the courts. Preventing crime before it happens is crucial to increasing public safety-and involves the whole community.
The majority of youth who have already committed crimes and are incarcerated will eventually be back on the streets. Unless an effort is made to rehabilitate them, these youth may spend a significant part of their developmental years without any encouragement to learn the skills required to become responsible and contributing citizens.
COMMON RISK FACTORS
Evidence continues to show that a small proportion of offenders commit most of the serious and violent crime. Although studies show that no single risk factor is responsible for serious delinquency, multiple risk factors tend to lead to higher levels of criminal behavior. Chronic offenders often have some of the following traits in common: poverty, failure or expulsion from school, having a parent or sibling who has been imprisoned, witnessing or being a victim of violence, lacking early parent-child bonding, being the child of a teen parent, lacking a vision for the future, and others.
Chronic juvenile offenders generally have a variety of other problem behaviors as well, including higher rates of dropping out of school, gun use, gang membership, teenage sexual activity, teenage parenthood, and early independence from their family.2
1 Report for In Search of Law and Order by Paul de Muro, 1996.
2 Guide for Implementing the Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, June 1995.
Effective Approaches in
Episode 1: The Limits of Justice
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