child care - Digital Library Collections
child care - Digital Library Collections child care - Digital Library Collections
THE STATE OF AMERICA'S CHILDREN YEARBOOK 1998 of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County have succeeded in reducing youth violence by fostering collaboration among law enforcement officials and engaging all segments of the community in crime prevention efforts. One part of Allegheny's approach has been to convene a group of Law Enforcement Agency Directors (LEAD)-two dozen local, state, and federal law enforcement leaders who share information and collaborate. LEAD's six task forces, including a gun task force that focuses in part on those selling guns to young people, have been key to improving community safety. A second thrust involves a Youth Crime Prevention Council, initiated and chaired by the U.S. Attorney. Council members include the mayor of Pittsburgh, the county commissioner, a corporate leader, the local Catholic diocese's bishop, a foundation chair, the local Urban League chair, and two dozen other representatives from the community. The council, which focuses on implementing prevention programs, has increased the number of trained volunteer mentors, started sports leagues serving 3,200 youths each year in 12 communities, placed nearly 2,500 high school students in jobs in the private and nonprofit sectors, and established four new family support centers. Allegheny County has found that sustained coordination among different agencies maximizes the impact of individual efforts to keep children and communities safe. Arrests of young people for violent crime in the county plunged 30 percent between 1994 and 1995, compared with a statewide decline of 9 percent. Moving Forward: A 1998 Agenda for Action The recent drop in violence by and against young people is an encouraging development. Nonetheless, far too many American children still crowd the justice system rather than the school system, and far too many others are haunted by fear and victimization. How can we rescue our young people from the threat-and the reality-of violence and crime? Communication is vital: advocates for youths and young people themselves must voice their concerns and put forward solutions at every opportunity. Collaboration is also key. Partnerships should be built across jurisdictions and job functions, and all segments of the community should be included. Political and civic leaders, police, prosecutors, judges, youth workers, businesses, foundations, schools, churches, and hospitals, as well as parents and young people, all have a stake in keeping children and the public safe, and all can make valuable contributions. In the coming year advocates should: • Emphasize prevention. Those who know that prevention works-through activities such as mentoring, after-school and summer programs, community policing, and intensive probation-must send the message over and over to policy makers and the public that prevention is the smart way to reduce violence by and against children. New spokespeople in the community, especially police, corrections workers, and judges, need to come forward. Greater efforts must be made to articulate the effectiveness-and the cost-effectiveness-of prevention. The National Council ofState Legislators estimates that a new juvenile prison bed costs $102,000, compared with $3,000 for an after-school slot. Advocates should continue to pound home the point, so that political leaders never fmd it easy to cut funding for prevention efforts. • Develop opportunities for young people in their out~f-school hours. Children and families in 1998 need new supports to reflect the changes in the work world since 1973. After-school activities-at schools, churches, YMCAs, and other community-based organizations-must be made available. Communities must seek and create more opportunities to link children with caring adults and positive activities, including mentoring programs and jobs. • Replicate successful programs. The success stories in Boston, Nashville, and Allegheny County need to be replicated. Advocates should share information about what works to 86 CHI L D R E 'S D E FEN S E F U D
_________C;;.,;,H;,.;"I.;;;L~D;;..;;R;.;E~N, V I 0 LEN C E, AND C RIM E reduce juvenile crime, and public and private funders should help adapt promising approaches to local needs. • Work for gun control. Advocates must continue to stress the clear connections between guns and deadly violence by and against children. No child should be able to obtain a gun at home or in the community. Laws to regulate guns are urgently needed, and advocates of such measures must not be silenced by the powerful pro-gun lobby. • Oppose incarcerating children with adults and criminalizing status offenders. Children should not be locked up with adults. Runaways and truants do not belong behind bars at all. Although secure jails and prisons are needed for the most violent offenders, states and localities should be encouraged to provide community facilities with services to deal with the problems facing most children who are arrested. As a nation, we need to strengthen our efforts to keep children safe from violence and prevent children from falling into lives of crime and destructive behavior. We must not simply wait for tragedy and then either bury our children or lock them away in places where they themselves will become the prey of adult criminals. Prevention, commonsense gun safety, and rehabilitation keep children and communities safe, and these principles should guide the crime fighting efforts of our nation, states, and communities. CHI L D R EN'S D E FEN S E FUN D 87
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_________C;;.,;,H;,.;"I.;;;L~D;;..;;R;.;E~N, V I 0 LEN C E, AND C RIM E<br />
reduce juvenile crime, and public and private<br />
funders should help adapt promising approaches<br />
to local needs.<br />
• Work for gun control. Advocates must continue<br />
to stress the clear connections between<br />
guns and deadly violence by and against <strong>child</strong>ren.<br />
No <strong>child</strong> should be able to obtain a gun<br />
at home or in the community. Laws to regulate<br />
guns are urgently needed, and advocates of<br />
such measures must not be silenced by the<br />
powerful pro-gun lobby.<br />
• Oppose incarcerating <strong>child</strong>ren with adults and<br />
criminalizing status offenders. Children should<br />
not be locked up with adults. Runaways and<br />
truants do not belong behind bars at all. Although<br />
secure jails and prisons are needed for<br />
the most violent offenders, states and localities<br />
should be encouraged to provide community<br />
facilities with services to deal with the problems<br />
facing most <strong>child</strong>ren who are arrested.<br />
As a nation, we need to strengthen our efforts<br />
to keep <strong>child</strong>ren safe from violence and prevent<br />
<strong>child</strong>ren from falling into lives of crime and destructive<br />
behavior. We must not simply wait for<br />
tragedy and then either bury our <strong>child</strong>ren or lock<br />
them away in places where they themselves will<br />
become the prey of adult criminals. Prevention,<br />
commonsense gun safety, and rehabilitation keep<br />
<strong>child</strong>ren and communities safe, and these principles<br />
should guide the crime fighting efforts of our<br />
nation, states, and communities.<br />
CHI L D R EN'S D E FEN S E FUN D 87
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