1. Every Adult Can Make a Difference
Nothing means more to kids than an adult who cares about them and believes in their prospects for a productive future. In Search of Law and Order: Reclaiming America's Kids shows a variety of mentoring efforts that have successfully kept kids out of crime and violence. These scenes underscore the fact that every adult can make a positive difference in a young child's life. Any investment of time and energy, no matter how small it may seem, can make a profound difference in a young adult's life.
2. 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. Although the criminal justice system has an important role to play in maintaining society's values and safety, only a small proportion of offenders are actually punished through the courts. Therefore preventing crime before it happens is crucial to increasing public safety-and involves the whole community. To make neighborhoods truly safe we need to break the cycle of crime and violence; often this requires a concerted response to the needs of youth and families in crisis.
The most effective such interventions involve teamwork and partnership--not only among justice agencies but also with community-based groups that in many cases have loudly criticized traditional approaches. Some of the most effective collaborations team up law enforcement, other government agencies and concerned members of the community, including school officials, religious leaders and other civic activists. Together, these partnerships can provide comprehensive support services (known as wrap-around services) for families, including mentoring, job programs, parent training, health care, mental health services, teen pregnancy prevention, and others.
3. Effective Alternatives to Prison Do Exist
It costs $30,000 a year to keep a juvenile locked up. As a result, many states have developed community-based alternatives to prison that have proven successful in reducing recidivism and helping young people develop into productive citizens. Several of these programs, which are usually much less expensive than prison itself, are profiled in In Search of Law and Order: Reclaiming America's Kids.
The majority of youth who have already committed crimes and are incarcerated will eventually be released back into the neighborhoods that helped to create them. Unless an effort is made to rehabilitate these teenagers, they may spend a significant part of their developmental years without any encouragement to learn the skills required to become responsible and contributing citizens.
