It is never too late…

It is never too late…

For many youth, contact with the criminal justice system comes much sooner than you might expect. All too often, a child’s first contact with the system is due to actions taken by their parents, guardians, siblings or other family members. Abuse, neglect, drug addiction, and incarceration of the adults in their lives all have a way of influencing the decisions that young people make. There is little doubt that social class, poverty, race, gender and disability affect outcomes for every individual in society but the effect these factors have on children is striking. Imagine being 10 years old and already having witnessed brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and parents have some contact with the criminal justice system. Imagine having witnessed violent crimes, had your home broken into, or otherwise been victimized in your community. Imagine that gang presence is felt on every street corner and that drug and turf wars erupt regularly. While it is always difficult to isolate the one reason a youth becomes a delinquent, there is no doubt that these youth need intervention in order to get themselves on a track.

When a young person is coming close to contact with the Juvenile Justice System, the sooner that person can receive support and services the better. When that does not happen, and a young person ends up on probation or in detention, they need support and services more than ever. This is where City Youth Now comes in. Through programs that provide individual grants for medical assistance, clothing, and other emergency support, internship programs, and programs that promote dignity and expose youth to new opportunities and worlds they have never known, City Youth Now gives these youth the support they need. You can read more about our programs here: http://www.cityyouthnow.org/programs.

The support we provide comes at a critical time in the lives of these children. It comes when a child can easily feel that it is too late, and it shows them that it isn’t. By providing these kinds of support to San Francisco youth on probation or in detention, we are helping to remedy some of the injustices that may have contributed to these youth ending up in contact with the Juvenile Justice System in the first place. There is much that can be done to reduce the impact that a child’s upbringing will have in the future and to alleviate some of the harms it has already inflicted. And it is never too late.

For a variety of reasons, kids who have access to more resources will do better…better in school, in their jobs, in their relationships. Early interventions through counseling or other means can make a difference; they can even protect a child from a contact with the Juvenile Justice System that might otherwise be inevitable. City Youth Now works hard to make sure that resources are available to ALL kids in San Francisco.

Restorative Justice

Restorative justice is a collaborative process that seeks to repair the harm caused by criminal activity. This includes trying to make the victim whole, getting the offender to understand the harm caused to the victim, and helping the offender reintegrate into society. Restorative justice programs have become increasingly popular in recent years, as more and more people recognize their efficacy. Many argue that restorative justice programs are more effective than the traditional criminal justice system in preventing and thereby reducing crime, because they focus on reform and rehabilitation rather than punishment.

There is no doubt that when a young offender is brought back to being a whole, contributing member of society, everybody wins. City Youth Now has long recognized the importance of programs that support incarcerated youth in one way or another, such as restorative justice programs. After all, the whole purpose of the juvenile justice system is not to punish, but to rehabilitate. That is why City Youth Now has worked to support incarcerated and probation youth for over sixty years.

One of the ways we help is by giving children in the Juvenile Justice System the support and tools necessary to reintegrate into society. Of course, City Youth Now helps in many other ways as well. Some of our success stories can be viewed here: http://www.cityyouthnow.org/success-stories. Your continued support of City Youth Now will allow us to keep providing services to bridge the gap between incarceration and community for San Francisco youth in crisis.

Realignment – AB 109 and AB 117

California’s criminal justice system is changing. On Saturday, October 1, a new law went into effect changing the way California houses prison inmates. Many who are currently housed in state prison will be transferred back to the counties that sent them there, where they will be placed in county jail. Sentencings taking place after October 1 will change as well. Many
offenders who would previously have been sent to state prison will now be sentenced to some combination of county jail, home detention, and one of a variety of rehabilitative programs. The process of transferring responsibility from the state to the county has been referred to as “realignment.”
Different counties have taken different approaches in response. As part of San Francisco’s plan, the Adult Probation Department will be working with Family and Support Services to make sure that their children will receive any services they may need. The hope is that this will help end cycles of incarceration that might otherwise continue for generations. It remains to be seen how
the plan will actually be executed, and what effects it may have. There is still much uncertainty surrounding the new plan for California, and many counties will likely be making adjustments. At a recent meeting discussing the realignment, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon
expressed his concern that the funding necessary to make transition work might not be here.

California’s criminal justice system may change in other ways in the near future. Early this year, Governor Brown proposed a plan to get rid of the Department of Juvenile Justice. By the end of June, the Governor had removed the plan from consideration as a result of budget negotiations. The plan would have directed that all juvenile justice issues be dealt with at the county level. While there were concerns that the plan would result in more juveniles being charged as adults, the plan enjoyed support from many who felt that better programs and support could be provided for the teens at the county level.

While the plan was not approved, it remains a possibility that it will be adopted at some future time. Perhaps the lessons California will inevitably learn from the state prison realignment will help predict the effects of any similar changes to the juvenile justice system. Whatever happens, San Francisco youth can be sure to find the continued support of City Youth Now. Independent
of the changing political and budgetary crises that California may face, City Youth Now will continue to provide education assistance, job training, emergency clothing, medical and dental assistance, personal development, unique recreational opportunities, and the opportunity to have a real childhood.