A Different Approach to Crime in a New York Neighborhood Is Working, Report Says
|
For young residents of Red Hook, N.Y. the chance to keep their record clean, or clear it, can make a world of difference in their future.
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (https://jjie.org/tag/community-based-alternatives/page/5/)
For young residents of Red Hook, N.Y. the chance to keep their record clean, or clear it, can make a world of difference in their future.
South Florida’s Broward County School Board voted unanimously to sign new rules, written by many hands, which are meant to drive down arrests and their unintended consequences in the state’s second most populous school district. The Nov. 5 Memorandum of Understanding approved by the school board has its signatories promise “appropriate responses and use of resources when responding to school-based misbehavior.”
NORTHAM, Australia -- Sometimes on a Friday night, when there’s nothing better to do and the streets are quiet, indigenous kids in this town 100km (some 60 miles) north-east of Perth, Western Australia, might hang out at the local police station.
Cindy Mathers found herself at a loss. Tasked with engaging a group of young teenage boys identified as at-risk of transitioning poorly to secondary school, the community health nurse, who works with aboriginal communities in West Gippsland, Australia, was worried that conventional talk-based techniques would fall short with the boisterous boys. DRUMBEAT, a group program that uses hand drumming to create a fun, safe space for social learning and self-reflection, provided her with a solution.
For low-level juvenile offenders, advocates and analysts say evening reporting centers could be excellent alternatives to detention.
“These are my grandchildren,” said Carolyn McFall, 70, as she flips a spoonful of ground beef in a skillet. Tonight, she’s making her specialty, a dish she calls “hamburger pie.”
The idea of hauling young offenders into court — and hoping lockup will change them — no longer appeals to a host of experts who work in the juvenile criminal justice system.
The ultimate goal is to provide youth and families in high-need communities with a comprehensive community network of supports.
Handcuffs, jails, and courts are not good places to hard-wire a kid.
“I want these gang members to know it ain’t the only way,” said Rico, a 27-year-old standing in the doorway of a dusty bodega on Kingston Avenue in Brooklyn.