Part 2: “There is no Champion” — Granite State News Collaborative

Chicago's Cook County Jail seeks to short-circuit the cycle of violence by involving young men from the city's most violent zip codes in a program that includes counseling, conflict resolution and anger management. The Sheriff's Anti-Violence Effort, or SAVE, then connects them with services once they're released to find housing and employment. Results are preliminary, but so far more than 80 have gone through the program and 20 were released, with just two ending up back in jail.

Girls in Chicago's toughest neighborhoods face extensive danger on a daily basis. Not enough is being done to help girls so that they do not engage in violence or self-harm. Programs such as the Urban Warrior Program, Demoiselle 2 Femme, and the juvenile justice system are implementing programs tailored to understand the issues for girls in this community and to then provide mentoring and education.

Some local programs see youth employment as more than just a workforce development issue. They also view jobs as a way to offer stability to young people, especially those from Cleveland area communities with high violence rates. The research bears them out. These are the voices of some of the voices speaking in favor of more jobs and less violence.

In some states, cash bail has been eliminated and this measure has seen significant results including lower jail populations, lower re-offense rates for people released on bonds and less jail time for those accused of low-level crimes. These results in states with bail reform laws suggest that bail reform works and serves as inspiration for other states looking to enact similar policies.

Healing trauma has never been an easy process but programs like Healing Hurt People help to promote recovery in traumatized, angry young men. This program, in partnership with local medical services, aims to provide therapy in place of violence, which would only cause more trauma down the road. Those who stick with the program have found great success in overcoming their pasts.

An in-depth study of Texas youth crime records helped them find a path forward on juvenile criminal justice reform, but they still struggle with limited resources and a culture stuck on incarceration.

The deeper kids get into the court system, the more likely they are to get into bigger trouble - instead of being scared straight, they end up on what researchers call the school-to-prison pipeline. Courts in Clayton County, GA, decrease the number of juveniles that are prosecuted by starting help groups to change behavior and strengthen families, and the initiative has since spread across the country.

RESTORE is a juvenile re-entry program offering supportive programming and guidance to intervene in cycles of crime and help more youth avoid the juvenile system and learn to make more positive choices. Already this year, RESTORE has served 344 young people through their workshops. Since launching in 2023, the program has helped 19 people graduate with their high school diploma, GED or a certification.

The Built For Zero program works to end homelessness by partnering with community organizations aimed at helping people experiencing homelessness — specifically veterans — access safe, affordable housing. The Detroit branch is one of the 105 cities nationwide participating in the program. Since joining in 2015, the city has reduced veteran homelessness by about 60%.

The Omowale Project works to support Black and brown activists who have been impacted by incarceration. Through the Projects sessions, advocates, formerly incarcerated people, or people whose parents were incarcerated when they were a child, are taught how to self-advocate, rest and care for themselves emotionally, physically and spiritually.