Juvenile crime: A turning point
Jed Oppenheim, Community Advocate for Mississippi Youth Justice Project sent this article an I am posting it up for all to read.
Juvenile crime: A turning point
By BISHOP RENÉ SOULÉ - and REV. ERIC DICKE
When we fear our children, and believe that the answer to juvenile crime lies with a private, for-profit prison company that makes money by perpetuating the cycle of crime, we doom our communities, our children and ourselves.
Unfortunately, this is exactly what’s happening in Harrison County.
County taxpayers are paying $1.7 million a year to a private company to operate the juvenile detention center. In comparison, nonprofits and churches that could provide safe alternatives to detention and crime-prevention programs receive only a small fraction of this amount.
Harrison County can — and must — do better for its children and our communities. We, members of the faith-based community and youth service providers, stand ready to help the at-risk children of Harrison County. We are confident that we would provide taxpayers a better return on their investment than a private, for-profit prison company.
Cost-effective alternatives to detention
For years, we’ve worked with many children after they’ve left the juvenile detention center. These youth live in our communities, and their well-being is tied up with ours. Some youth do need to be removed from their homes in order to ensure community safety. When that happens, children must be held in safe and humane conditions; they must receive education and help making positive life decisions. If this does not happen, when our children return to us they will be behind in their schooling and will be dealing with the after-affects of poor, sometimes abusive, treatment.
With the right investments, the majority of court-involved children could be held accountable in their homes. According to the Department of Human Services, over 75 percent of the kids involved with the Harrison County youth court were accused of non-violent offenses. National data indicates that two-thirds of all children in detention are there for non-violent offenses, like disorderly conduct and vandalism.
Holding these children in detention not only wastes taxpayer dollars, it can create more juvenile crime by denying children the things they need to make positive life decisions — things like education, mentoring, positive peer groups, and religious activities.
Some answers are already here and working
But the news is not all bad. Harrison County has a diverse faith-based community that is ready to rally around these children and provide interventions at a fraction of the cost of secure detention. These interventions will not only hold children accountable, but will force parents to become active participants in their child’s rehabilitation.
The work of rebuilding the Gulf Coast is not yet done, and organizations like YouthBuild could help youth channel their energy into positive, concrete projects that will bring lasting benefit to our communities. Making this a reality would simply require a diversion of funds from the private prison company to other agencies.
Investments like these are proven to keep communities safer than jail cells. Communities that have re-invested jail funds into alternatives have seen significant decreases in juvenile crime.
Our children and our communities deserve more than profit-motivated imprisonment. We hope we will have the chance to work with Harrison County decision-makers to create a new reality for our at-risk youth, a reality in which we hold them accountable in constructive, cost-effective ways.
This is our obligation as community members and Christians, after all, Jesus instructs, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them for to such belongs the Kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:13-16)
Bishop E. René Soulé is director of YouthBuild Rebuilding Company of Mississippi, LLC. The Rev. Eric E. Dickey is pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church of Biloxi.
Juvenile crime: A turning point
By BISHOP RENÉ SOULÉ - and REV. ERIC DICKE
When we fear our children, and believe that the answer to juvenile crime lies with a private, for-profit prison company that makes money by perpetuating the cycle of crime, we doom our communities, our children and ourselves.
Unfortunately, this is exactly what’s happening in Harrison County.
County taxpayers are paying $1.7 million a year to a private company to operate the juvenile detention center. In comparison, nonprofits and churches that could provide safe alternatives to detention and crime-prevention programs receive only a small fraction of this amount.
Harrison County can — and must — do better for its children and our communities. We, members of the faith-based community and youth service providers, stand ready to help the at-risk children of Harrison County. We are confident that we would provide taxpayers a better return on their investment than a private, for-profit prison company.
Cost-effective alternatives to detention
For years, we’ve worked with many children after they’ve left the juvenile detention center. These youth live in our communities, and their well-being is tied up with ours. Some youth do need to be removed from their homes in order to ensure community safety. When that happens, children must be held in safe and humane conditions; they must receive education and help making positive life decisions. If this does not happen, when our children return to us they will be behind in their schooling and will be dealing with the after-affects of poor, sometimes abusive, treatment.
With the right investments, the majority of court-involved children could be held accountable in their homes. According to the Department of Human Services, over 75 percent of the kids involved with the Harrison County youth court were accused of non-violent offenses. National data indicates that two-thirds of all children in detention are there for non-violent offenses, like disorderly conduct and vandalism.
Holding these children in detention not only wastes taxpayer dollars, it can create more juvenile crime by denying children the things they need to make positive life decisions — things like education, mentoring, positive peer groups, and religious activities.
Some answers are already here and working
But the news is not all bad. Harrison County has a diverse faith-based community that is ready to rally around these children and provide interventions at a fraction of the cost of secure detention. These interventions will not only hold children accountable, but will force parents to become active participants in their child’s rehabilitation.
The work of rebuilding the Gulf Coast is not yet done, and organizations like YouthBuild could help youth channel their energy into positive, concrete projects that will bring lasting benefit to our communities. Making this a reality would simply require a diversion of funds from the private prison company to other agencies.
Investments like these are proven to keep communities safer than jail cells. Communities that have re-invested jail funds into alternatives have seen significant decreases in juvenile crime.
Our children and our communities deserve more than profit-motivated imprisonment. We hope we will have the chance to work with Harrison County decision-makers to create a new reality for our at-risk youth, a reality in which we hold them accountable in constructive, cost-effective ways.
This is our obligation as community members and Christians, after all, Jesus instructs, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them for to such belongs the Kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:13-16)
Bishop E. René Soulé is director of YouthBuild Rebuilding Company of Mississippi, LLC. The Rev. Eric E. Dickey is pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church of Biloxi.
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The mission of The Gathering is to build an Intergenerational, movement, rooted in history, cultures and non-violent direct action to heal communities, build collective strength and generate an environment of hope and opportunity.
Civil rights and social justice organizations have come to understand that collective action on a national basis is required to stop child incarceration and challenge the immoral process which perpetuates an unjust justice system. These groups are working under extremely difficult circumstances and many of them with little or no resources. The Gathering is a national movement that creates a coordinated space to 1) fortify relationships between regional groups, 2) support local endeavors and 3) enhance the ongoing organizing of non-violent direct action training. Central to its mission is strengthening our moral environment.
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Civil rights and social justice organizations have come to understand that collective action on a national basis is required to stop child incarceration and challenge the immoral process which perpetuates an unjust justice system. These groups are working under extremely difficult circumstances and many of them with little or no resources. The Gathering is a national movement that creates a coordinated space to 1) fortify relationships between regional groups, 2) support local endeavors and 3) enhance the ongoing organizing of non-violent direct action training. Central to its mission is strengthening our moral environment.
- “a project of tides center” -
"The Gathering" is a project of Tides Center 501c3
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