COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE
Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans and other major U.S. cities experienced over 600% more carjackings in the last two years.
These are the reported cases. Many car jackings were violent – most of them committed by juveniles.
The violence, excitement and control for disaffected youth makes this an easy and low punishment crime. Kids at young as twelve are participating.
Courts have been lenient on most of the crimes committed by youth. We want them to find the right path and fit in.
The policing of carjacking is a hard call for police. it can lead to high speed chase and arresting of juveniles. Repeat offenders are common.
At this time of caution in police departments based on race and youth and car chases, this crime is troublesome.
A YOUTH’S PERSPECTIVE
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz has commented that 90% of youth in Juvenile Justice came through Child Protective Services. Youth in CPS have been removed from dysfunctional birth homes because of violence, neglect and traumas inflicted on them in the home.
Most fostered youth have suffered years of violence and trauma. They have lived a very different life than kids growing up in normal circumstances. Mental health and behavior problems interfere with their ability to sit quietly in school and build the skills they need to fit in with their peers or the community.
Many at-risk youth give up the struggle and quit trying to be part of the community. They form their own deal – their own community. COVID has locked a growing number of kids in toxic homes for longer periods without access to people that could help them. These alternative communities are growing.
These are big numbers. Pre COVID about 6 million children/youth each year were reported to CPS. Those are just the numbers of reported youth. Most child abuse is unreported. It’s not unrelated that 9 year prison recidivism in America is approaching 90%.
SOLVING THE PROBLEM
A decade ago, a Ramsey County ACEs study discovered that most St Paul juvenile crime was committed by youth from about 3% of families living in St Paul. They knew who these kids were and where they lived. If the resources had been provided, a significant percentage of those kids could have been redirected into programs that build the skills they need to succeed in the community.
It’s more cost effective to catch these problems even earlier by providing whatever it takes to interrupt child abuse and heal traumatized youth. Programs that build skills and pull youth out of the river of crime and violence are important. Programs that interrupt the number of abused and neglected children being thrown into the river of child abuse are more effective.
Until communities see the economic and social benefits of saving children from being thrown in the river, we will live with a growing population of at risk youth struggling to fit in. They have their own deal and it doesn’t include us in a way that we want to be included.
KARA’s Free Friday Morning Real Story E Updates
KARA Signature Video (4 minute)
This article provided by former CASA Volunteer Mike Tikkanen