Tuesday, July 13^th

Cowboys' Bradie James Discourages Youth from Crime

More than 100 middle and high school students gathered Wednesday at Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual and Performing Arts for a high-profile pep talk about staying in school and out of trouble.

U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson organized the effort, the fourth annual Youth Crime Prevention Summit. Speakers included Omar Jahwar and Antong Lucky of Vision Regeneration, a gang intervention organization; Max Brewington of the Dallas County district attorney's office's juvenile division; Dan Salter, assistant special agent in charge of the Dallas field office of the Drug Enforcement Administration; and Dallas Cowboys linebacker Bradie James. Read More

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Gang of One Awarded State Grant to Expand Services

The local outreach program Gang of One is getting more funding to help people get out of gangs. Monday night, the Charlotte City Council approved a state grant totaling more than $550,000.

The graffiti markings, drawings and hand signs paint an undeniable picture of the gang threat in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. That gang presence and the crimes associated with gang activity are why those in Gang of One work around the clock.

"We are starting to see what we'd hoped we might when we began Gang of One in 2004," said Cook.

Gang of One is about to grow again. The group is being awarded a state grant that will create a Reentry and Intervention Team. For the first time, case managers will work closely with 40 to 50 incarcerated youth offenders who'll be released from area detention centers in the coming months. Read More

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Larger Schools May Breed Less Parental Involvement

A new analysis finds that parents are less likely to volunteer when their children attend larger schools.

Here's a general rule: the more parents are involved in their kids' lives, the better the results usually are.

Naturally, San Francisco Bay Area school districts are taking this truism to new heights. San Jose's Alum Rock Union Elementary School District may soon require parents to volunteer at least 30 hours per academic year – or face a potential slap on the wrist or call from the principal. Read More

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Career Resource Centers - An Emerging Strategy for Improving Offender Employment Outcomes

The National Institute of Corrections is pleased to announce the release of Career Resource Centers - An Emerging Strategy for Improving Offender Employment Outcomes. This information-rich bulletin provides a step-by-step guide for setting up a Career Resource Center in a correctional facility, a parole or probation office, or a community-based organization. It includes a companion, multimedia DVD that contains many of the resources needed to operate an effective center. Through an easy-to-use menu that parallels the written text, you can watch videotaped interviews with practitioners, install career assessment software, and read dozens of documents related to career exploration, offender reentry, collaboration building and much more. For your no cost copy of this important bulletin, call NIC's information center at 1 (800) 877-1461 and ask for item number 023066 or visit NIC on the web at http://nicic.gov/features/library/default.aspx?library=023066.

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150 Graduate Outreach Program

Local gangs can say "adios" to more than 150 students who recently graduated from a gang prevention program in High Point.

The students recently completed a two-year program called Amigos and Hermanos (friends and brothers), which is designed to prevent elementary and middle school students from the influences of gangs.

The program was housed at the Hispanic Center of High Point at Christ the King Catholic Church.

The program was part of the Governor's Crime Commission approach to identifying and addressing the influence of gangs on young children. It was an outreach program of the Sisters of DePaul Society. Read More

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Governor Quinn Signs Law to Reduce Bullying in Schools

Law Expands Definition of Bullying, Requires Gang Prevention Training, Creates Bullying Prevention Task Force

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn today signed a bill into law that is aimed at reducing bullying in schools. Senate Bill 3266 expands the definition of bullying, requires gang prevention training in Illinois schools, and creates the School Bullying Prevention Task Force to examine the causes of bullying.

"Students do their best in school when they are able to focus and concentrate on their studies. Students who are being bullied for any reason are not able to do their best," said Governor Quinn. "This new law helps schools protect students so they can succeed both inside and outside of the classroom."

Bullying can severely impact a student's mental health and can impede their ability to participate in extracurricular activities. The new law expands the definition of “bullying” to include any communication made through writing or electronic means such as text messaging, e-mail or social networking Web sites. Anything from race, gender, religion, a physical disability or sexual orientation can be targets for school bullying.

Each school district and private school will now be required to develop and maintain a policy on bullying that must be updated every two years. Public schools are already required to have such policies in place. Read More

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