On June 28, the sixth floor ballroom of the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford held a large gathering of participants committed to making the juvenile justice system evolve. Hosted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and The Justice Education Center, Inc., the day-long conference consisted of speakers and panel sessions on topics such as Community-Based Alternatives to juvenile incarceration to Ex-offender Perspectives on Positive Youth Interventions.
The focus of the conference was how to prevent youth violence and also, how to implement positive youth development. David Fein, United States Attorney in the District of Connecticut emphasized the importance of meeting the challenges those who work in the juvenile justice system face.
Mayor Pedro Segarra, who participated in the opening ceremonies, gave a personal and poignant speech about how gang violence impacted his life at an early age. Segarra’s father was just 19 years-old when he was murdered by gang members. Determined not to become involved in gangs, a teenaged Segarra left the Bronx to come to Connecticut Both Segarra and Guy Thomas, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, spoke of the importance of guidance in a young person’s life. Thomas, who grew up in New Haven, gave credit to his mother for empowering him with the will to succeed in life, and keeping him away from troubled neighborhood youths.
However, for every Segarra and Thomas there are countless other young people caught up in the juvenile justice system with less successful results. Keynote speaker Lanny Breurer, Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, addressed this problem when he spoke of the “staggering number” of kids exposed to violent crime, either directly as a participant or a victim, or indirectly, as a witness or relative or friend of a victim or participant. Breurer referred to a federal juvenile justice survey that reported 60% percent of young people who were interviewed were impacted by violence.
Education was offered as a key component to helping young people stay out of the juvenile justice system. Josette Katz, Connecticut’s Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, when asked what she believed to be the most important DCF policy, answered “Safety is not enough,” to the applause of the audience. Katz believes resources and support in educational and vocational programs are essential because children “identify with culture.” Engaging children and families in academic programs can keep children safe, and help them develop into successful adults. Katz also advocated for holistic, strength-based programs to prevent violence.
When Dr. Steven Perry spoke on “The Role of Education in Positive Youth Development” the crowd was electrified. Beginning his talk by saying “I’m not used to speaking to so many white folks with guns,” a reference to the large number of conference participants who are employed in the law-enforcement field, Perry had the audience laughing, applauding and listening with rapt attention to his presentation. Perry is the founder of the Hartford-based Capital Prep Magnet School, which has attracted world-wide attention for its innovative ideas in bringing quality education into the inner-city. Perry passionately believes that both parents and teachers must be held accountable for the education of their children and students, offering the view that sub-par teachers must be fired, and low performing schools should be shut down. Perry asserted that a child who goes to school for 187 days a year had better receive 187 days of education, and that parents who don’t take a stand against sub-standard education are dooming their children to a dismal life of wasted potential.
Connecticut was praised for making inroads in advancing reform in the juvenile justice system which began in 1995 when the state rethought the “super predator” model of dealing with offenders. The super predator model assumed that some people can’t be reformed and that juveniles should be treated as adults and locked up “forever” if convicted of a serious crime. When scientific studies proved that children’s brains do not develop fully until early adulthood, Connecticut legislators, including former Connecticut Speaker of the House Tom Ritter, and former chair of the Judiciary Committee (and now Under Secretary of Criminal Justice Policy and Planning), Mike Lawlor, began focusing on policies that would provide alternatives to incarceration for juveniles. A major reform piece, “Raise the Age,” was created by Senator Toni Harp, and Representative Toni Walker. Connecticut was one of only three states that treated 16 year-olds as adults in all criminal cases. Newly passed legislation now allows 16 year-olds to be tried as juveniles, and there is legislation being put forth that would raise that age to 17. Putting 16- and 17- year olds in prison with hardened criminals can destroy a young person’s life ,and provide an education in how to become a more successful criminal.
After a presentation by David Kennedy the director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, conference participants regrouped to attend the panel sessions. The topics of the sessions revealed just how far the juvenile justice has evolved. Efforts are being made to engage young people in music, arts and sports. The roles of the police and faith-based initiatives in preventing violence were highlighted. Identifying the needs of children of incarcerated parents was discussed, as well as methods to identify disenfranchised and disengaged youth who might be susceptible to joining a gang. The conference did not dismiss the government’s objective in bringing down violent offenders via arrest and prosecution, but the primary focus was in preventing young people from becoming another Bureau of Justice statistic by providing them with resources before they made a life-altering, negative choices -- a challenge yes, but one that conference participants seem willing to take on.
|
|
|
|
