Responses To Gang Violence: 11:45

Choose 180 channels Seattle-area young people into an alternative to court and jail when they commit relatively minor offenses. This "offramp" from the traditional justice system, serving a disproportionately Black and brown clientele, helped 400 clients in 2019, 87% of whom did not commit new offenses. Research shows such diversion programs have a better track record for preventing future crimes. A Choose 180 "sentence" comes in the form of a workshop introducing young people to mentors and giving them a chance at the stability and frame of mind they need to seek more lasting change in their lives.

At Syracuse, New York’s Hillbrook Detention Center for youth, the Thinking For A Change program provides kids with classes – taught by mentors with similar backgrounds – like conflict resolution, anger management, problem-solving, and how to recognize signs of abuse. The program is part of a national shift toward rehabilitation and community-based programming, which is associated with a decrease in the number of youth experiencing incarceration.

Restorative justice, a process that originated in New Zealand, aims to repair damaged relationships rather than merely meting out punishment. It can be far more demanding than a traditional route through court, but for juvenile offenders like those in King County, who are statistically likely to get stuck in a cycle of crime after a first prison sentence, the alternative to incarceration may provide a constructive path forward.

Adolescent Opportunity Programs (AOPs) are a pre-intervention method for curtailing juvenile delinquency that have proven vital in the Mississippi state's criminal-justice system - they have the power to prevent young people from entering the system in the first place and save taxpayer costs in the long-term. But federal funding is threatening to run out.

After going to prison themselves, John Knight of Jackson and Shanduke McPhatter of Brooklyn are living straight and determined to make changes. They work as "violence interrupters" in their neighborhoods, using an approach called "Cure Violence," developed by Dr. Gary Slutkin. They mentor other young, at-risk men and encourage them towards graduating high school, community service, staying away from drugs, and pursuing honest work.

A nonprofit in Indianapolis diverts kids from the juvenile justice system by using a teen court where first-time offenders admit their guilt to a jury made up of fellow students rather than going through suspension or expulsion. Jurors usually give verdicts that include community service, apologies, restitution, counseling and tutoring, and possibly serving on a jury. About 1,000 students participate each year and the county prosecutor named the nonprofit Crime Fighter of the Year for its work.

Specialty dockets are used in some states to provide extensive follow-up and supervision to help juveniles end gang affiliations. The enhanced supervision usually includes a curfew, frequent unannounced home visits, regular courthouse meetings, and in depth mentoring. A federal grant recently made it possible for a Texas docket called Juveniles United Navigating Obstacles Successfully (JUNTOS) to also offer therapy services to at least 36 adolescents over 3 years. Gang re-entry data is scarce and there is a risk of focusing only on youth of color because the gang designation excludes white supremacy groups.

The 10-year-old Newark Youth Court has heard some 700 cases in which high school students serve as judge, jury, and lawyers in proceedings that avoid school discipline or criminal charges with creative exercises in personal accountability. Taking aim at fights, disruptive behavior, or more serious offenses involving weapons or drugs. the Youth Court seeks to encourage better life choices. Outcomes may exclude punishment altogether, imposing community service (including Youth Court jury duty) or other alternatives to jail, avoiding criminal records that can ruin someone's future.

In Newark Youth Court, the common mistakes and misbehavior of childhood lead to a trial in which all of the participants are high school students, and the outcomes center on second chances and atoning for wrongdoing through community service and decision-making classes. The court, which hears about 100 cases per year, serves as an alternative to pushing allegations of minor fights, vandalism, and truancy into the justice system, where punishment falls most heavily on youth of color and can wreck lives without solving the discipline problems.

Teens exposed to gang violence in Chicago have gained guidance from veterans. The mentorship program, operated through the YMCA, has helped young people connect with adults who can relate to their experiences.