Posts Tagged ‘Youth’
The Beat Within
The Beat Within is a journal for and by incarcerated youth. The mission of the journal is to provide a creative outlet for young people within the prison system, and it features poetry, art and creative writing.
Here’s a poem from the latest issue:
I Forgive You
by Remy in Alameda
I forgive you
For not being there for me
I forgive you
For leaving me
I forgive you
For neglecting me
I forgive you
For keeping my brothers away from me
I forgive you
For hurting my mommy
I forgive you
For hurting me over and over again
I forgive you
For lying to me
I forgive you
For standing me up
I forgive you
For not being in my kid’s life
I forgive you
For leting someone else take your place
I forgive you
For not being my father
I forgive you
Read more of The Beat Within here.
Posted by hcdmedia
Gang Violence on Indian Reservations
On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota gang violence has its residents increasingly concerned. Some attribute this violence to poverty and lack of hope and options for youth on the reservation. Others say youth are emulating ghetto culture of the inner city. Attorney General Eric Holder has proposed increases of money for policing and juvenile programs.
Read more here.
Posted by hcdmedia
Crisis in New York Youth Prisons
A confidential draft report prepared by a task force appointed by Governor Patterson and led by John Jay College of Criminal Justice president Jeremy Travis states that the juvenile prison system in New York has reached a state of crisis. The juvenile system houses about 900 young people at 28 facilities across the state. The report found that excessive violence was used in dealing with the youth, and the facilities were ill equipped to deal with addiction and psychological illness.
The report states:
These institutions are often sorely underresourced, and some fail to keep their young people safe and secure, let alone meet their myriad service and treatment needs…In some facilities, youth are subjected to shocking violence and abuse.
Read more here.
Posted by hcdmedia
Saying Sorry in Ireland
In Northern Ireland, many juvenile offenders have been sent to “youth conferences” – meetings that entail free restorative work and face-to-face apologies. The results have been published and amazingly, these meetings seem to reduce crime and lower rates of recidivism. More than 5,000 meetings between criminals and victims have taken place since 2003 and a marked difference in percentage of youth re-offending was found between those who took part in restorative justice programs and those who were given custodial terms. Roughly 38% of 10 to 17 year olds participating in the program in Northern Ireland in 2006 re-offended within a year, compared to 71% of those given custodial terms.
Read more about the program here.
Posted by hcdmedia
Youth UpRising – Poetry and Prison Project
Youth Uprising’s Poetry and Prison Project is a youth-led citizen journalism effort that uses poetry to speak about the effects of mass incarceration on young people in urban America. The project’s multimedia study, Poetry and Prison features videos of program participants reading their original poems and discussing how writing poetry impacts their lives.
Posted by hcdmedia
Systems of Failure
The Oakland Tribune reported recently that two young boys, ages 8 and 10, committed an armed robbery with a BB gun at a gas station in East Oakland. They welded the gun and demanded money and candy – they asked for gum and Push Pops. The boys were apparently cousins and live in the area – an historic hot spot for drug sales and violence. The boys were arrested but not taking to juvenile hall – they were charged with armed robbery and have to appear before a judge.
There are some who would say these youth should have been incarcerated – armed robbery is indeed a serious offense. But locking these children up would have only made them worse. Placing them in a facility with older youth who are more hardened and experienced in crime, the two boys could have learned new criminal tricks and met new negative peers.
And while yes, even an 8 and 10 year old have to have some accountability – who is at fault in this case? Where are the parents, the extended family, or even the community – which is supposed to be the safety net, the village. Where are the community based organizations that are supposed to engage the youth in positive activity and providing for these youth’s needs – like giving them a little candy? Where are the programs of the many churches in that area that should have been working with these children?
Posted by DavidMuhammad
Impact of Incarceration on Kids
It is widely reported that children with parents who’ve been to prison are much more likely to be incarcerated themselves. For this reason, it can be a good idea to seek out intervention and prevention services. There are programs around the country that offer mentoring programs for at-risk youth. An organization based in Memphis, called Families of Incarcerated Individuals states that mentoring can:
• Improve a child’s self esteem
• Help improve academic skills
• Lead young people to resources they may not find on their own
• Provide support for new behaviors, attitudes and ambitions
• Enhance parenting
There’s another group in California that provides children and youth who’ve been impacted by incarceration with tools to interrupt the cycle of incarceration and violence. It’s called Project What! and it uses the arts to build self-esteem and help kids to find their personal voice. Click here to check out the project’s website.
Also, check out this video about Project What! 
Posted by hcdmedia
The Court Employment Project
Many believe the key to keeping youth out of trouble is to keep them busy with healthy, productive, and empowering activities. CASES is an organization that operates out of New York City, but the work they do could be applicable to youth around the country.
The Court Employment Project (through CASES) provides participants with a variety of programs in a structured environment. Rather than focusing on a young person’s problems, the youth development approach at CASES focuses on a young person’s strengths. They are asked to develop, rather than simply change. Participants set their own goals to engage in constructive activities and professional skills, while their daily schedule is set by the program’s staff. The staff also monitors each participant’s progress toward his or her goals.
The programming at the Court Employment Project falls into four categories:
- Art
- Education
- Health and Well-being
- Outdoor Activities
There is also a gender-responsive service for female participants called the Girl Rising Program. To learn more about the services offered in all of these areas, visit the CASES website.
Posted by hcdmedia
Youth in the Community
Community-based supervision organizations can be very effective in reducing the use of detention and custodial placement for youth in the criminal justice system. A very impressive example of this work is the Center for Community Alternatives, serving New York City, Kings County, and Syracuse, NY.
The CCA accepts referrals at any stage in the juvenile/criminal justice process: bail, plea, sentence and disposition. They provide court advocacy for youth that includes the development of a client-specific plan as an alternative to detention. This plan is based on a review of the case and an investigation of the case using interviews with the youth, relevant family members and others.
When a young person enters the program, CCA works with them and with and their parents to stabilize their family life, to establish safe and appropriate housing, to arrange reentry to school and to ensure their health needs are being met.
Posted by hcdmedia