Troubled Kids News

According to 2004 statistics, nearly 5,000 kids, ages ten through 19, were arrested for a violent crime in New York State, not including New York City. According to 2003 statistics, 7.2 percent of high school students in New York State reported they were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in the past year. The safety of our communities and schools is in jeopardy.

Law enforcement leaders recommend a one-two punch to address teen and gang crime: tough and close supervision combined with research-tested interventions that pull kids away from violence. This "carrot and stick" police and community collaboration swiftly prevents future gang violence by closely tracking high-risk kids and linking offenders to neighborhood services so they get off drugs, stay in school and find a job. In Boston, a citywide effort like this resulted in a two-thirds cut in youth homicides.

The second punch is a proven program such as Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) or Functional Family Therapy, which provide structure, discipline, and support for chronic teen offenders and their families. It works on an individual basis with teenaged offenders to change their behavior, break the negative peer connections that lead to crime and move them back into classrooms and jobs. Parents are also coached to better manage their teenager's behavior. Studies found the program cuts repeat arrests by as much as half and saves the public an estimated $24,000 in future costs and less earnings.

Bullying is no longer just on playgrounds and in school hallways; it's also on the Internet and cell phones. A new poll shows that 13 million American children aged 6 to 17 are being cyber bullied and many of them are not telling anyone about it. Many bullies grow up to commit crimes - one study showed that four of every 10 boys who bullied others as kids had three or more convictions by the time they turned 24. The Olweus program developed in Norway produced a 50 percent reduction of bullying there and a 20 percent reduction when it was replicated in South Carolina.

Reports

All Fight Crime: Invest in Kids New York reports on troubled kids:

"Serious violent criminals need to be locked up, but to curb gang violence we must intervene to keep these kids from becoming criminals in the first place. Research shows there are proven strategies to cut-gang related homicides almost immediately and shut off the pipeline delivering new kids into gangs."

- James Russo, Hempstead Chief of Poilice

Membership Info >

• For children in sixth through tenth grade, nearly one in six - 3.2 million - are victims of bullying each year. An additional 3.7 million bully other children.
• Thirty-eight (38) percent of suburban counties and 12 percent of rural counties in the U.S. report gang activity.
• Preventing one child from adopting a life of crime saves $1.7 million.