LEGISLATION EMPOWERS COMMUNITIES TO INVEST IN AT-RISK YOUTH BEFORE THEY JOIN GANGS

The Issue: The United States, by far, incarcerates its residents at much greater rates than any other nation in the world. Incarceration costs in the U.S. have risen to $65 billion a year. African Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities are especially over-represented among the prison population. Especially devastating to our communities and to our youth is gang violence: many of the crimes committed by gangs and gang members are reprehensible and cause irreparable harm not only to individual victims but to families and whole neighborhoods as well. While the perpetrators of these crimes must be punished, it is becoming clear that we must take a proactive approach and try to steer at-risk youth away from gangs and towards being successful, productive members of our communities before a crime is committed.

Congressman Robert “Bobby” Scott (VA) and Senators Robert Casey(PA) and Olympia Snowe(ME) have introduced H.R. 1064/ S. 435, the “Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support and Education Act” - a.k.a. the “Youth PROMISE Act” - to reduce crime before it happens by investing in research-based programs. The Youth PROMISE Act mobilizes community leaders and invests almost exclusively in prevention and intervention, as opposed to the standard approach, which is obviously not working, of waiting for a crime to occur and then putting the alleged criminals in jail.

Specifically, the Youth PROMISE Act allows communities facing the greatest youth gang and crime challenges to form a council to include representatives from law enforcement, court services, schools, social service organizations, health and mental health providers and community-based organizations, including faith-based organizations. These councils will then develop a comprehensive plan for implementing evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies that fit the needs of the particular community. These strategies will target young people who are at-risk of becoming involved, or who are already involved in, gangs or the criminal justice system and redirect them toward productive and law-abiding alternatives.

To show your support for the Youth PROMISE act, go to http://bit.ly/Y085M on Change.org and let Congress know you think this legislation deserves their attention.