Friday, October 23^nd

Gangs and Violence Not Just a 'Guy' Thing

Silvia Quezada, at 15, has been arrested for illegal possession of a firearm and has lost a boyfriend, gunned down in a gang–related melee.

Her life in the Back of the Yards has been anything but cosseted. She is affiliated with a gang through family members and her boyfriend.

When she heard about the brutal death of Derrion Albert, she was unfazed.

"I just thought, 'Oh.' That stuff happens all the time around here," she said flatly. Read More

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N.J. At-Risk Youth Education Programs Receive $6.25M

With millions of dollars in state and federal grants already going to bullet–proof vests and surveillance cameras, Attorney General Anne Milgram today announced $6.25 million for another major crime prevention initiative: education.

The grant will be split among YouthBuild programs across the state, including those in Newark, Trenton, Camden and Paterson, which help high school dropouts earn their general equivalency diploma and provide job training. Law enforcement officers have praised the program for reducing crime. Read More

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Black Male Dropouts Lead Nation in Incarceration, According to New Report

On any given day, nearly 23 percent of all young Black men ages 16 to 24 who have dropped out of high school are in jail, prison, or a juvenile justice institution in America, according to a disturbing new national report on the dire economic and social consequences of not graduating from high school.

Dropouts become incarcerated at a shocking rate: 23 of every 100 young Black male dropouts were in jail on any given day in 2006–07 compared to only six to seven of every 100 Asian, Hispanic or white dropouts. While young Black men are disproportionately affected, the report, released Oct. 9, found that this crisis cuts across racial and ethnic lines. Male dropouts of all races were 47 times more likely to be incarcerated than their peers of a similar age who had graduated from a four–year college or university. Read More

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New Handout Helps Prepare Youth for Police Questioning

PACER Center's Juvenile Justice and Youth with Disabilities project has developed a new handout for parents whose children or youth maybe at risk for arrest by police at school or in the community.

"What Youth Need to Know if They Are Questioned by Police: Tips for Parents to Prepare Their Youth with a Disability" helps parents understand their child's rights. The free handout can be downloaded at PACER.org/publications/juvenile.asp.

PACER's Juvenile Justice Project was established in response to the knowledge that youth with emotional behavioral learning and developmental disabilities are at a higher risk for involvement with the juvenile justice system.

The project serves parents and professionals through individual advocacy, training and the ongoing development of new resources. PACER assists parents and professionals by:

• Helping parents work with police, public defenders and other professionals.

• Informing parents and professionals about the special education and mental health rights of children and youth in short– and long–term correctional placements

• Training corrections staff attorneys, public defenders, police officers, and other professionals about mental health issues, effective interventions, and rights under federal law

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