COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE
Most major U.S. cities experienced a huge increase in carjackings in the last two years. Many are violent – all are traumatizing. The majority are committed by juveniles – some of them under 14 years old. Repeat offenders are common.
The violence, excitement and control for disaffected youth makes this an easy and low punishment crime. Courts have been lenient on most of the crimes committed by youth.
The policing of carjacking is a hard call for police. it can lead to high speed chase and arresting of juveniles.
At this time of low traffic law enforcement and 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 without repeated violence and trauma. 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 create their own community. After COVID locked huge numbers of kids in toxic homes for longer periods without access to people that could help them, these alternative communities grew rapidly.
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. The pipeline to prison in America is growing. 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 heal trauma and build the skills needed to succeed in the community.
It’s less painful and more cost effective to address these problems by providing whatever it takes to interrupt child abuse and heal traumatized youth. Programs that 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 way 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 and the crimes they commit. They have their own deal and it doesn’t include us in a way that we want to be included.
Let your State Representative know you support at risk youth initiatives;
FIND YOUR STATE REP HERE
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This article provided by former CASA Volunteer Mike Tikkanen
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