ASTART and CAFETY Capitol Hill Briefing - Feb 2009

[Che Gookin]

That's a state level problem, and the idea of federal intervention makes me cringe. The article very clearly states 53 percent of the kids are inside for misdemeanors. The simple solution is to start right there and begin returning those kids to the community to participate in community service projects. The funds saved from returning those kids to their homes to a scenario that is far more cost effective can be turned around and used to improve the lot of the kids being confined for more serious offenses.

New facilities, better teachers, more oversight, and a closer eye towards long term rehabilitation through job training and voluntary therapy for those who need or want it. Social services can be provided to help with those kids who families are truly broken to prevent them from returning right back to the same situaiton where they came.

At least the situation seems pretty clear cut to me anyway.

[Inculcated]

Che’s input ^ in response to the article linked in Rusty Goat’s post (pasted below) gets the heart of the matter.
These kids and the community are not served by parking in them in a facility.
Report Finds Problems Plague State-run Juvenile Detention Centers -by Cindy Rodriguez
NEW YORK, NY December 14, 2009 —A report by a state task force recommended today that Gov. David Paterson close or significantly downsize state run juvenile detention facilities. A draft copy of the report obtained by WNYC, says the facilities are damaging young people and wasting taxpayer dollars.
Jeremy Travis, President of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, headed the task force and says the state must shift from a punitive approach to one that's therapeutic.
The report says 1,600 youth enter the facilities annually, costing the state about $200,000 a year per child. Travis says those resources should be reinvested in services for youth.
"This is a big challenge that we are laying at the doorstep of the state of New York here," he says. "Other states have made the shift and we have every confidence that New York State can make this transformation as well."
Upstate lawmakers and unions that represent facility employees adamantly oppose closing them down, and warn that sending troubled kids back into communities poses a public safety hazard.
The report comes as the state continues to negotiate an overhaul of facilities with the Department of Justice. A two year investigation by the DOJ revealed serious abuse of kids at four upstate facilities.
According to a court memo, the state agency overseeing detention facilities has already urged family court judges not to send kids to facilities unless they pose a danger. The memo outlines a serious lack of services to deal with mental health problems, substance abuse and educational needs.
The DOJ has investigated 100 youth facilities across 16 states and its currently monitoring 65 of them.
The report says 53 percent of kids in detention facilities are there for misdemeanor offenses, including shoplifting and assault.

A link to that should also go in the Government Gulags Forum

The following is excerpted from A Deadly Decision?

"Some parents and juvenile courts don't care about the licensing. They just want a program where they can put kids. The system is so overwhelmed,"

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in Washington, D.C., estimates that 2.3 million kids under 18 go through the juvenile-justice system each year. With a glut of offenders, there are fewer resources for the 10,000 or so kids flirting with vandalism, theft or truancy, says R. Dean Wright, a criminology professor at Drake University in Iowa. It's those types of kids who end up in boot camps. Youth are put into the wilderness or in a military setting, where counselors create a disciplined atmosphere to steer kids straight through hard work, physical exercise and verbal sparring. Other camps feature a rigorous military style, from early morning marching drills to strenuous obstacle courses. All use strict discipline to keep their charges in line.

But two decades of research and results have left juvenile-justice experts divided, says Jerry Wells of the Koch Criminal Institute, a nonprofit think tank in Topeka, Kansas.

Tony Haynes didn’t deserve what ultimately became a death penalty for his transgressions

[Che Gookin]

Yep.. same old shit, different wrapper.

[AuntieEm2]

Because the bill is pending action in the Senate, you could always contact your senators and ask them to make changes in the bill to reflect better solutions to the problems you describe, Che. Perfectly legit course of action and I encourage you to apply your knowledge and experience to improving the bill. To be successful in approaching your senators, you will need to be well-versed in the connection between the issue and the people and institutions in your home state, and then not only say what you think is wrong with the bill, but specifically describe how the language should change to address your concerns.

I know you have said, basically, that no government program or law ever worked at all, but that's an absolute view that just isn't true. And it's too easy an answer. A lot of government efforts work a lot of the time--Clean Air/Water Acts, child labor laws, Medicare, women's right to vote, eradication of smallpox and polio, fire departments, etc. There's a reason why there are now more democracies on the planet than any other form of government: democracy, though messy, works better than the alternatives. It's important to exercise your rights as a citizen and voter.
 
I know nothing's perfect, but I choose to get involved and be part of figuring out the solution. I hope you will, too. I worry if we all walk away from a current effort to bring programs under better control, we will miss an opportunity that will not soon come again. At the same time, I am doing what I can to keep kids from being sent to programs in the first place.  

I'm not looking forward to your snarky comments about this, but go ahead. I think we are working towards the same goals, if by different paths.

Auntie Em

[Che Gookin]

I think if you are worried about my comments you are already aware of the gaping holes in the logic of your own argument.