In an era when juvenile justice legislation sometimes seems uninformed by actual evidence, In Search of Law and Order: Reclaiming America's Kids offers a unique opportunity to lift the level of public debate and thereby encourage more informed decision-making by citizens and policy makers alike.
You can use this series to support more effective approaches to juvenile justice by organizing local meetings to engage in discussion, trade ideas about concerns and swap stories about how other members of your community are trying to reduce youth violence and crime. The programs (initiatives) highlighted in In Search of Law and Order can serve as a examples to encourage debate about positive new approaches for your community. These meetings can act as a spark to re-infuse people with a sense of possibilities and hope, to leave them with the renewed energy necessary to tackle the tasks at hand, and to result in specific commitments to take future action.
In Search of Law and Order: Reclaiming America's Kids can be an effective tool to assist communities to:
- Inform the debate
- Strengthen existing local community based coalitions
- Encourage adults to make a meaningful difference in a child's life
- Create and support effective alternatives to prison.
- Realize that public safety is a collaborative effort requiring involvement at every level of the community
Leader's Guide
A leader's guide is available on-line to assist you in gearing discussions toward clearly defined goals that reflect local needs.
These goals could include the following outcomes, which will ultimately be determined at the local level:
- Achieving a consensus among participants at the meeting regarding specific future actions that they are in fact capable of taking;
- Forming coalitions designed to influence federal, state or local policies regarding kids and crime;
- Committing to specific actions that will increase citizen involvement in the daily lives of local kids (either through direct mentoring or the support of programs that provide healthy role models and constructive opportunity for kids);
- Identifying community assets available for kids as a first step towards assessing the extent to which they meet actual needs, and making a commitment to ensure the provision of adequate resources;
- Mobilizing organizations and recruiting citizens and community leaders in support of comprehensive community-based efforts to enhance public safety;
- Establishing new partnerships between justice agencies and community-based groups.
