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Home My WebLink About1997-03-11 - AGENDA REPORTS - YOUTH PROSENTATION (2)AGENDA REPORT NEW BUSINESS DATE: March 11, 1997 City Manager Item to be pre: Georae Caravalho SUBJECT: RESOURCES FOR YOUTH PRESENTATION DEPARTMENT: Parks, Recreation & Community Services BACKGROUND Violence in America is a major public health problem. In California, however, the extent of violence is shocking. California is a national leader in homicide and suicide, with a majority of cases involving firearms and youth. The California Wellness Foundation is combating violence by allocating a substantial portion of grant funds to address certain strategic initiatives, including "Violence Prevention," "Community Health Population," "Health Improvement," "Teenage Pregnancy Prevention," and "Work and Health." The City of Santa Clarita, the Win. S. Hart School District, Henry Mayo Memorial Hospital, North East Valley Health Center, American Heart Association, Santa Clarita Child and Family Development Center, Santa Clarita Valley Service Center, Newhall School District, and the Youth Alliance, are currently working together to apply for funding from the California Wellness Foundation. Funding would support "Wellness Villages," in which youth and adults will work together to identify health and environment issues and solutions. Attached to this report is a summary of information produced by Martin and Glantz through a grant from the California Wellness Foundation, The California Wellness Foundation is an independent private foundation created to improve the health of the people of California, funded through an endowment from Health Net. The Martin and Glantz report explores the issue of youth violence, and proposes some first steps in addressing violence issues. RECOMMENDED ACTION Take information into consideration for future program use. ATTACHMENTS A. Summary of Information from California Wellness Foundation - Strategies to Prevent Youth Violence B. Statistics C. Youth At Risk article 2=0 Item: Summary of Information from California Wellness Foundation Strategies to Prevent Youth Violence 1. 'It's time for an honest dialogue" A. The issue of solutions to youth violence has become polarized and politicized. 1. Those who believe that we must teach young people sound values to solve the problem are branded "heartless conservatives." 2. Those who talk about investing in prevention, and you are called a "bleeding heart." B. We must begin by accepting that youth violence affects all of us, and that it is NOT inevitable. 2. 'Let's agree on the basics' A. Young people need support before they get into trouble and become involved in violence. 1. Incarceration only provides public safety after someone has been hurt. 2. In investment in prevention meabs fewer victims in our communities and more productive young people contributing to society. B. Public Safety is paramount. 1. The most violent young people need to be removed from society. 2. Public safety must also mean preventing violence and crime before it happens. C. Today's juvenile crime responses are inadequate. L California spends more than $2.2 bilhon,a year on the juvenile justice system. 2. The League of California Cities concluded in their 1995 report, The Cost of Denial, that "it takes courage to admit that what weve been doing for the last 20 years isn!t working. It's time for change.' D. The public wants change. 1. In a statewide survey in May 1996 of 1,000 registered voters: 77% said they believed that prevention programs are effective responses to juvenile violence Only 17% said that building more detention facilities was the answer. More than 75% said they'd be willing to invest tax dollars to fund prevention programs. Most believe that families and local communities have the greatest responsibility for preventing youth violence. 66% believe the rate of youth violence has increased over the past few years. + 72% of voters believe that there is no age by which it is too late to help a young person who has gotten involved in violent crime. + 71% felt that a mentoring program would be an effective preventative measure; 61% believed in Beacon (or "second-shife schools); 53% in conflict resolution training. 3. 'Let's take a closer look at the problem." A. In many California counties, juvenile offenders arrested for such crimes as petty theft or property damage are typically placed on probation, where they are seen only once or twice by their probation officer. B. California taxpayers spend roughly $32,000 per year to punish a young serious offender. C. A recent Rand Corporation study revealed that appropriate early interventions would both rescue some youth from a life of crime, and save the state money. 1. More than 150 crimes a year could be averted for every $1 million invested in parenting programs. (NOTE. if half of those crimes would have resulted injuvenile confinement, the state saves $2.4 million for every $1 million invested --a net savings of $1.4 million, just by offering parenting classes!) 2. About 258 crimes a year. could be averted for every $1 million spent on programs that offer tutoring and offer modest financial incentives to graduate from high school. (7f 112 of those crimes would have resulted in incarceration, the state saves $4.1 million for every million invested) 3. An estimated 72 crimes a year could be prevented by investing $1 million annually in a program that closely monitors 12- and 13 -year old delinquents. D. The 1996-97 budget for the California Youth Authority is $361.4 million. 1. Approximately 68% of youth housed by the CYA are committed for violent offenses. 2. 91% of CYA!s parolees are rearrested within 3 years. E. This year's state budget allocated $11.6 million to fund a mentoring initiative linking at -risk youth with responsible adults. 4. To engage in a productive and honest discussion of the issues, we need to start with facts. A. Youth between the ages of 12 and 17 are crime victims five times more often than people over the age of 35. B. Every 17 hours another child in California is a murder victim. Homicide is the leading cause of death for youth in California. C. In 1995, there were 85,052 juvenile felony arrests in California; 26% of these were for violent offenses. D. State and local law enforcement agencies spend approximately $1.1 billion a year to respond to juvenile crime and violence. E. Total prosecution and public defense costs forjuvenile offenders are estimated at $176 million annually. F. The California court system spends an estimated $532 million each year to process juvenile cases. 6.. One solution that works: Beacon Necnnd-shift") Schools (Full-service programs)v 1. Youth ages 12-17 are more likely to be crime victims during the hours of 3 to 11 p.m. than at any other time of the day. Younger children (ages 6-11) are more likely to be victims at 3 p.m. than at any other time of day. 2. Youth are more likely to commit crimes at 3 p.m. --when most schools end classes for the day and dose their doors to students. 3. Full-service (Beacon, second -shift) schools offer programming before and after school, often until late at night, including weekends, vacations, and summers. 4. Full-service programs are broad in program design and may include academic and computer classes, sports activities, job training, drama, art and music classes, leadership and support groups, social services, health care services and.clinics, parenting classes, and counseling. 5. Full-service programs are designed to include parents and members of the community. 5VShaW&MI0gW.= STATISTICS "The most pressing problem we have in this state -- indeed, in this country, is our failure to commit to the needs of children. We can talk about family values all we want, and set up more committees, but I felt that with that approach we'd forever be picking around the edges of the problem." --Judge Alice Lytle. Sacramento County Juvenile Court Judge Every day in America, 16 children ages 19 and under are killed in gun homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings. Many more are wounded. .1. .- Gunshot wounds are the second leading cause of death for all people aged 10-34 L. A. County kids, aged 19 and under, are more likely to die I a gun homicide or suicide than in a motor vehicle crash. A youth aged 10-19 committed suicide with a gun every six hours in 1991 -- 1,426 young people in one year. In 1992, firearm homicide was the number one cause of death for black men ages 15-34, and the second leading cause of death for all 15-24 year olds. A voung black male is 11 times more likelv to be murdered than avoune white male. ' For black males aired 15-19. firearm homicides have increased 158 Dercent from 1985-1993. Youth violent crime amests rose 65% from 1990-1994. accordine to the F.B.I. gn:agen3l lb.dm ri U'd ri :-10 '4 More and more children are given no hope for the future. A criminal -justice expert outlines the problems, analyzes promising solutions, and proposes an eight -point plan to save youth at risk. Growing numbers of children are being ne- glected, abused, and ignored. Without change, the dark specter of generational warfare could be- come all too real. After two decades of study, however, I conclude that we can stop this negative trend and do a bet- ter job of nourishing this most important resource. To do otherwise would surely be a violation of our obligation to future generations. Child-care advocates claim that up to 15% of 16 - to 19 -year-olds are at risk of never reaching their potential and simply becoming lost in society. Others would add to this category children of any age if they are at risk of not becoming seIf-sup- porting adults, headed for a life in institutions for delinquency, crime, mental illness, ad- diction, and dependency. We could also describe as "at risk" those teens and preteens who take on child rearing themselves and drop out of school. The task of saving these children has become in- creasingly formidable. Compounding the problem are the expanding gap between the rich and poor, the increasing number of single -parent house- holds, the rise of homes where both parents work, the growing gun culture, and the recent increase in negative attitudes about children, such as courts that treat younger and younger children as adult criminals. As a result, children lose hope for the future. They turn to peers for attention; they turn to guns for pro- tection, security and status; and they turn to sex and drugs for comfort and relief of boredom. The gang too often becomes their "fam- ily"—the only place where they re- ceive attention and approval. Criminologist James Fox of North- eastern University predicts that the murders committed by teenagers (4,000 in the United States in 1995) will skyrocket as the 39 million chil- dren now under age 10 swell the ranks of teenagers by 20% in the first decade of the twenty-first century - The result could be a juvenile crime wave such as the United States has neverseen. Yet, such a catastrophe is not in- evitable. There are some signs of hope: a slightly decreased birth rate among teenagers in the mid-1990s, a rising bipartisan concern about "sav- ing the children," burgeoning com- munity-based experiments for meet- ing the needs of youth,. and a movement to regard poor prenatal care, poor parenting skills, child abuse, and child neglect as public- health problems. Beyond this, a striking change in the rearing of children in many fami- lies has been observed. Countering the trend toward ignoring or even abusing children is a trend toward cherishing and nurturing them. Thousands or even millions of young parents are taking turns working while the other stays at home and makes child care almost a full-time vocation. There is an un- recognized renaissance in parenting progressing quietly in neighbor- hoods across the nation and possibly the world. Of course, having youth at risk is not a problem unique to the United States. Wars, social upheaval, rapidly changing economic systems, political instability, and cultural animosity have placed millions of children at risk around the world. Children die of starvation while others wander aimlessly in search of home and family. Singling out specific problems is difficult, for most are interrelated. For example, children left alone with- out adult attention are more likely to experiment with sex and drugs. 2 Youth At Risk Teenagers who try drugs are more likely to be involved in delinquent behavior. Chil- dren who experiment with sex increase their likelihood of becoming unmarried teenage parents. Youngsters who are physically and sexu- ally abused are more likely to adopt abusive behavior toward others. Clearly, how- ever, the following are major factors in the dilemma. Teenage Pregnancy Many child advocates see teenage pregnancy as the main problem. Children hav- ing children puts both gener- ations at risk and often leads to poverty, poor health care, truancy, and underemploy- ment. The dimensions of the issue—as reported by the National Commission on Children, the United States Census Bureau, and others re staggering: * Every year, one in 10 teenage females becomes pregnant—more than 3,000 a day. a One of four teenage mothers will have a second child within one year of her first child' bit, s r . Most teenage mothers are single and receive no support from the father. * Eight of 10 teenage mothers do not finish high school. About one-fourth of the families in America are headed by a single par- ent—usually the mother. In the His- panic community, it is one-third; among black families, it is one-half. Most of the children in these fairdlies were bom to teenagers. According to the Centers for Dis- ease Control (CDC), 85% of all chil- dren exhibiting behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes. Other statistical findings indicate that chil- dren from fatherless homes are: 32 times more likely to run away, nine times more likely to drop out of high school; 14 times more likely to com- mit rape; 10 times more likely to be substance abusers; and 20 times more likely to end up in prison. Poverty Whereas 75% of single -female - headed households are in poverty at least some of the time, and 33% are chronically poor, poverty is also en- demic to a majority of young house- holds. Already, one in three children under 6 lives below the poverty line. About half of the homeless are families with children. A million divorces each year create new female -headed households below the poverty line. Poor )iealth Care CDC and other agencies have found that at least 25 million chil- dren in the United States have no health care. This means that they are taken to the hospital emergency room or to nonprofessionals for health problems. Without change in Juvenile Arrests, igoa to 1994 150,000 125,000 100,000 75000 50,000 25,000 Arrests of persons aged 10-17 Total violent crimes IM Weapon law violations 0 Total drug abuse Source: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, cited in Statistical Abstract of the United States 1996, Table 324. health provider arrangements, half of the nation's children could be without health care by the year 2000. Already, most unwed mothers re- ceive no prenatal care. Lack' of health care too often equals stunted ability to learn, life - altering health problems, lowered ability to cope in a free-market sys- tem, and, as a result, greater likeli- hood of drug abuse, delinquency, and crime. Child Abuse There is substantial evidence of child abuse or neglect in the back- ground of every known serial killer. In most cases, the abuse was physi- cally or sexually severe. Beyond blatant abuse, neglect it- self—ignoring the child's physical and emotional needs—is a form of abuse that scars the child as much or more than beatings. Child abuse and neglect are often called the "silent epidemic" in the United States. Alleged abuse more than quadrupled between the mid- 1970s and the mid-1990s to more than 3 million cases a year reported (and 1 million substantiated). A Gallup Poll reported that physical abuse cases were 16 times greater than reported rates, and sexual abuse was 10 times greater. The U.S. Department of Justice re- ports that abused or neglected chil- dren are 40% more likely to be ar- Victimization Rates, 1994 (rate per 1,000 persons) Age of All Crime MI Crimes Total Assault Rape, Victim of Violence Sexual Assault 12-15 117.4 114.8 99.7 3.1 16-119 125.9 121.7 104.a 5.1 All 53.1 50.8 42.7 2.0 Source: U.S. Bureau of Justice Stafisff cs, cited In StatistkalAbstractof the United States 1996, Table 320. I milli N 11 nil 01 I [,,,,1I W1 oil Total violent crimes IM Weapon law violations 0 Total drug abuse Source: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, cited in Statistical Abstract of the United States 1996, Table 324. health provider arrangements, half of the nation's children could be without health care by the year 2000. Already, most unwed mothers re- ceive no prenatal care. Lack' of health care too often equals stunted ability to learn, life - altering health problems, lowered ability to cope in a free-market sys- tem, and, as a result, greater likeli- hood of drug abuse, delinquency, and crime. Child Abuse There is substantial evidence of child abuse or neglect in the back- ground of every known serial killer. In most cases, the abuse was physi- cally or sexually severe. Beyond blatant abuse, neglect it- self—ignoring the child's physical and emotional needs—is a form of abuse that scars the child as much or more than beatings. Child abuse and neglect are often called the "silent epidemic" in the United States. Alleged abuse more than quadrupled between the mid- 1970s and the mid-1990s to more than 3 million cases a year reported (and 1 million substantiated). A Gallup Poll reported that physical abuse cases were 16 times greater than reported rates, and sexual abuse was 10 times greater. The U.S. Department of Justice re- ports that abused or neglected chil- dren are 40% more likely to be ar- Victimization Rates, 1994 (rate per 1,000 persons) Age of All Crime MI Crimes Total Assault Rape, Victim of Violence Sexual Assault 12-15 117.4 114.8 99.7 3.1 16-119 125.9 121.7 104.a 5.1 All 53.1 50.8 42.7 2.0 Source: U.S. Bureau of Justice Stafisff cs, cited In StatistkalAbstractof the United States 1996, Table 320. rested as juvenile delinquents and adult criminals; three times as likely to use drugs and alcohol, get into fights, and deliberately damage property; and four times as likely to steal and be arrested. It is also re- ported that one in eight neglected children was later arrested for a vio- lent offense. Chronic Truancy And School Dropout On the average school day, as many as 15% of junior and senior high school students are not in school. For too many, this is a Pat- tern that leads to dropout. Truants represent a large portion of those arrested for daytime break- ins and thefts, and dropouts are over -represented in jails and prisons. The Census Bureau reports that earnings of students without a high school diploma average far below the poverty line. Alcohol and Drug Abuse Polls of youth indicate that nine out of 10 teenagers drink alcohol to some extent by the time they finish high school, and a majority have used illegal drugs. A study of 1,200 school dropouts in California found their weekly alcohol -use rates were twice as high as in -school counter- parts, and their use of hard drugs was two to five times as high. Dropout drug users were much more likely to be involved in violent and criminal activities. One-third said they had sold drugs in the past year, and twice as many dropouts as in -school students said they be- longed to a gang. Lark at Faith in Tomorrow The Gallup Poll reported that 70% of 16- to 24 -year-olds believe that the world was a better place when their parents were their age, and 56% said it will be worse for their own chil- dren. A joint Washington Post, Kaiser, and Harvard survey reported that the belief that "most people can be trusted" fell from 54% to 33%, and trust in government dropped from 76% to 25% over a three -decade pe- riod ending in 1995. At -risk youth, in particular, say they "live for today" and see no hope for their future. Youth At Risk 3 fST, ';r7&v Crime and Homicide In 1996, the Justice Department re- ported that the juvenile homicide rate had almost doubled in over a decade, and blacks and males were by far the most likely to be killed. The major correlating factor was an increase in the use of firearms. Guns were also found to be the single factor that could account for tripling the number of juvenile homicide offenders over the decade. Justice predicts another doubling of crime by juveniles by 2010 if current trends continue. Tragically, most victims of juvenile violence are other juveniles, often children who are not even involved in the dispute. Numerous programs have been developed to cope with the at - risk youth population. Here are some of the best approaches. Positive Reinforcement Children crave attention more than anything else, especially post- tive attention. A baby who is cuddled, talked to, and stimulated in the first six weeks of life is much more likely to be intelligent and well adjusted than a baby ignored and simply fed and cleaned up in silence. Later, the child who is rewarded with praise for accomplishments is much more likely than others to become opti- mistic and achievement oriented. So how does one extinguish un- acceptable behavior? By ignoring it and efinninating the child's ability to gain attention. The simplest ex- amples are having the child sit in a corner or placing the child in a closed room for a short "time out." For older children, pats on the back, awards, and ceremonies to cel- ebrate accomplishments are particu- larly effective in fostering prosocial behavior and giving at -risk youth a stake in society, helping them over- come lack of hope and lack of faith in the future. The bottom line: Using positive reinforcement must become a way of life for parents, teachers, and others. 4 Ybuth at Risk Parent Education Teaching positive reinforcement to prospective parents has been effective in reducing the at -risk population. Parent education can pro- vide information and skills to assist the parent -to -be with in- centives to learn and use good child-rear- ing practices. To be effective in re- ducing teenage par- enting, these classes must reach children early—sixth grade or shortly thereafter. In programs that force them to carry a com- putmized aying and wetting doll around. for a couple of weeks, many teenagers de- cide to - postpone parenthood. Healthy Start e Jus ce Depart- ment and Health and Human Services each have Healthy Start programs. Justice's program was de- signed to reduce ne- glect and abuse, while the Health and Human Ser- vices program was designed to re- duce infant mortality by strengthen- ing the maternal and infant care systems at the community level. A similar program, Healthy Fan -d - lies America, was launched in 1992 by the National Committee to Pre- vent Child Abuse to help establish home visitation programs, service networks, and funding opportunities so all new parents can receive the necessary education and support. A child revels in the ride and attention offered by a Boys & Girls Clubs of America staff member- These Clubs are among several successful programs addressing the problems of youth at risk, says author Stephens. Mentoring To help provide -positive adult role models for at -risk youths, lead- ers in Kansas City are on a quest to recruit, train, and assign 30,000 mentors—one for every at -risk child in the city. Other communities have greatly expanded existing mentor- ing programs, such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Nonviolent Conflict Resolution Programs are now appearing in schools and community centers to provide attitudes and skills neces- sary to resolve conflict nonviolently. Models have been developed by the American Bar Association and the Justice Department, as well as by ed- ucators. One of the best models in- volves training school staff—teach- ers, administrators, custodians, bus drivers, and cafeteria workers—in creative nonviolent conflict -resolu- tion methods. Older students are also taught these techniques, and they in turn teach younger students, turning peer prmure into a positive rather than negative force. Community Schools Programs All communities have schools, but all communities do not use those schools effectively in breaking the cycle of violence and frustration among at -risk youth. A federal ini- tiative—the Community Schools Program—has been effective in rally- ing the community around the school. Other examples of successful part- nerships include: * In Missouri, 6,000 volunteers keep 675 schools open for extra hours. - Boys' and Girls' Clubs offer mentoring in New Jersey schools. - In New York City, Safe Haven programs provide safe environments and positive after-school tutoring and enrichment programs. *Year-round schools in many communities facilitate better learn- ing—since students no longer have the long summer to forget what they leamed—and foster more opportuni- ties for extracurricular programs, from tutoring and mentoring to fam- ily activities and counseling. Character Education Character education in schools generally revolves around univer- sally accepted values (e.g., love, truthfulness, fairness, tolerance, re- sponsibility) that find little opposi- tion based on differing political, so- cial, and religious beliefs. Schools with large numbers of at -risk chil- dren have reported pregnancy and dropout rates cut in half, along with reduced fights and suspensions, af- ter character education took hold. Youth Initiatives Surveys by Gallup Poll, Wirthlin Group, and others consistently find that 95% of teenagers believe it is im- portant for adults and teens "to get involved in local civic, charitable, cultural, environmental, and politi- cal activities." More than three- fourths of teens say they are already participating in some volunteer work, such as working at soup kitchens for the poor, nursing homes for the elderly, or shelters for the homeless. Programs such as Americorps, Job Corps, Peace Corps, and others pro - To Help Youth, Should Easy Divorce Be Stopped? If society were truly interested in looking out for children's fu- tures, it would put an end to easy divorces, claims William A. Galston, former assistant to Presi- dent Clinton for domestic policy. "Since the 1960s, the number of children directly touched by di- vorce has jumped from 485,000 to one million a year" in the United States, writes Galston in The American Enterprise. Except in households where parents are abusivei most children fare better when marriages are maintained. "Divorces in nonabusive cases have a negative effect on children in a number of key areas: school performance; psychological ill- ness; crime, suicide, out -of -wed- lock births; adult work perform- ance; and the propensity to become divorced," Galston ar- gues. "There is also evidence that Future Possibilities For Controlling Risk Technology is beginning to of- fer several other possibilities to reduce the problems of at -risk youth, though some of these pos- sibilities may offend many people's concept of justice and humanity, For example, new birth -control devices could be implanted in all youth or all at -risk youth. Al- ready, courts have ordered women to either have five-year birth - control implants or face prison for child abuse. Another possibility is to im- plant body -functioning monitors and control devices, which may the experience of divorce dimin- ishes trust in people and institu- tions, and impedes the capacity of individuals to form stable, lasting relationships." Galston blames these problems on the ease with which divorces have become attainable through no-fault laws and other policies. Marriage—and its dissolution— ha * s become focused on the per- sonal happiness of adults rather than on the nurturing and devel- opment of children. To turn the focus back toward the well-being of children, Galston recommends increasing pre -marriage education (perhaps taking the place of sex education in schools), reorienting economic and social policies to create a "marriage -friendly environment," and rescinding no-fault divorce laws for couples with minor children. Source: "Braking Divorce for the Sake of Children' by William A. Galston, The American Enterprise (May/June 1996). be developed as early as the first decade of the twenty-first cen- tury. These very small computer - controlled machines would be im- planted in the body to monitor all systems and add or subtract chemicals and hormones, slow down or speed up electrical synapses, and correct genetic ab- normalities. The monitor could thus control behavior and elimi- nate most delinquent and crimi- nal actions. The question raised for society is whether these controls would be used only on criminals, or also on at -risk youth (potential crimi- nals), or on anyone at all. --Gene Stephens Youth at Risk 5 Playing ball at a Boys & Giris Club. Youth athletic leagues are among the community - oriented programs recommended by author Stephens to prevent problems of at-rJsk youth. vide young people a chance to learn the joy of giving to others; at the same time, it gives them a stake in society by developing skills, disci- pline, and a chance to go to trade school or college through grants and loans. Many communities and even some states (Georgia, for example) are developing youth -oriented com- munity service programs of their own. Community Policing Law enforcement programs are in- creasingly working in partnership with the community to identify crime -breeding problems and imple- ment solutions. Many of the at -risk youths' problems thus become com- munity problems and lend them- selves to community solutions. Homelessness, poverty, lack of posi- tive adult role models, and poor health care may lead to safe shelters, community assistance, mentors, and in -school or community clinics. One of the best examples of this approach took place in Milton Keynes, England, which faced a rash of shoplifting, burglary, and a few store robberies. Rather than seek out, arrest, and prosecute the young of- fenders, Police Commander Caroline Nicholl instituted a series of confer- ences in which police, merchants, and neighbors met with offenders and suspects to identify reasons for the offenses. As a result, Nicholl says, "We learned about child abuse, bullying, alcoholism, and many other problems, and the community set to work on these." Restorative Justice Most at -risk youth encounter the justice system early in life. Where ju- venile justice once focused on the needs of the child, it now focuses on the deeds of the child and a belief that someone, adult or child, has to pay for the offense. Countering this trend is a restora- tive justice movement, which holds 6 Youth at Plisk BOYS 6 GIRLS CLUBS Cf AMERICA that the purpose of justice is to bring peace and harmony back to the com- munity by restoring victim, commu- nity, and offender to a symbiotic re- lationship. Often, restoring includes restitution, service, and reclamation. In the case of juvenile offenders, the child usually makes restitution to the victim either by his or her own earnings or through closely moni- tored personal service (cutting the lawn, raking leaves, chopping wood, or making home repairs), several hours of service to the community, an apology to the victim, counseling, and essays and/or school talks on the harm the offense does to society Once the restitution is completed, the child's record is purged. There are literally hundreds of programs being tried in small and large communities across the nation and, indeed, worldwide. The plan that follows represents a consensus from groups to whom I've given the same assignment over the past decade: "Develop a program So, t/ -k : to turn your communitys youth into productive, happy, law-abiding adults." These groups have included students from high school to gradu- ate school, practitioners from police to social service workers, and com- munity leaders, all participating in brainstorming and planning sessions to alleviate the youth -at -risk problem. Here is a comprehensive plan based on my 10 -plus years' experi- ence with these exercises. 1. Commit to positive reinforce- ment through community and school-based parenting classes (mandatory in schools), ongoing me- dia campaigns, positive attention, and recognition in all schools (preschool through high school) and community-based programs. 2. Promote nonviolent conflict resolution among peers through mandatory educational programs for students, parents, teachers, coun- selors, administrators, media, and community campaigns. I 3. Encourage mentoring for all children. Civic, business, and com- munity campaigns should recruit and train mentors, matching them by needs and temperament. Pro- grams such as Big Brothers and Big Skters �11011]d lie e\panded. 4. Establish community—school partnerships to offer before- and af- ter-SChool tutoring. Enlist votith to perform er% ices to the community to eoll,111CO their stake in societ�� 5. Develop community -oriented proactive policing pro grams that begin with a philo�oph.� of pre�en- tion. Examples of prevention pro - ,,rams include midnight basketball leagues, police—youth athletic leagues, neighborhood housing project sub- stations, and foot patrols. These all involve partnerships of police, par- ents, church, business, civic, and community organizations. 6. Initiate ethical and cultural awareness programs that build on partnerships among family, church, 1 The Youth Corps I: Solution A wide variety of programs and proposals seek to improve the futures of youth at risk. In Washington, D.C., the U.S. Corporation for National Service coordinates 120 youth corps pro- grams in 37 states. These pro- grams, now involving 22,000 young people, combine work ex- perience and education within the context of community servi . ce, The programs are funded by fed- eral, state, and local governments, foundations, and corporations. In addition, the programs are com- pensated under fee-for-service contracts. Besides teaching skills and pro- viding a benefit to the public, the programs try to instill a work ethic in participants and help them to understand the meaning of working with others toward a common goal. The youth corps program is a cost effective.way to help young people earn more, work more, and steer away from trouble, ac- cording to a recent study by Abt school, media, civic, business, and other community groups. These pro- grams w0nld �n`iphasize finding common ground on basic values, such as respect, responsibilitv, and restraint. 7. Design youth opportunity pro- grams to provide all children the chance to reach their potential, re- Prdless of circumstances. Such pro- grams could be run through school, business, and community partner- ships that provide in -school jobs and child care, career counseling and training, opportunity scholarships, and recognition for achievement. 8. Set up peer counseling hotlines to help youth help each other through the trying times of adolescence. To this basic plan we may also Associates for the Corporation for National Service. Among other results, the study found that par- ticipation in the corps reduced in- cidence of unwanted pregnancies among African-American women and increased the likelihood of Hispanic women to work and ex- press a desire to obtain a college degree. Youth corps' impacts were found to be especially positive for young black men, who obtained more work and higher earnings and in- creased both their educational as- pirations and civic participation. "Given the widespread percep- tion that 'nothing works' to posi- tively influence the life chances of disadvantaged youth, it is es- pecially important to be able to document the benefits of pro- grams like youth corps," says JoAnn Jastrzab, director of the study. Sources: The Corporation for National Service, 1201 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20525. Telephone 202/606-5000. Abt Associates. Inc., 55 Wheeler Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138. Telephone 617/492-7100; fax 617/492-5219. consider in the future adding ,, more dramatic (though often controver- sial) measures, such as birtli-control implants, health monitoring and treatment implants, behavioral con- trol implants in extreme cases, com- puter-assisted brain implants, and educational implants. But these mea - sores should only be considered af- ter reaching consensus concerning ethical issues. In addition, we must focus on jus- tice wherL delinquency and crime occur. Youth offenders must recog- nize the consequences of their ac- tions on the victim, the victim's family, and the community. The harm must be ameliorated and restored through mediation and arbitration, restitution, service to the victim and community, reclamation, and reconciliation. Final Thoughts Every community can develop programs guided by this model. But all plans must adopt certain guiding principles that permeate the ap- proac . Children want attention above everything. Thus, giving attention reinforces behavior and denying at- tention extinguishes behavior. Both praise and punishment are attention, and both will reinforce behavior that gets that attention. It is important to instill optimism and faith in the future in all children, as they are the key to success. The very nature of adolescence is to chal- lenge authority, but most children drift through this troubled period and become law-abiding adults un- less they become labeled as delin- quents, criminals, or losers. Surely we can see the need to reach out and lend a hand to the world's most precious resource. 1:1 About the Author Gene Stephens is a profes- sor in the College of Crimi- not Justice, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208. Tele- phone 803f777-7315; tax 803/777-9600. He is the criminal -justice editor ofTHE FU7URlST; his last article, "Crime in Cylberspace: The Digital Underworld," appeared in the September -October 1995 issue, Youth at Risk 7 _T1