No Kids in Prison

Youth First Initiative is one organization that is advocating for the youth population involved with crime. This specific organization was created in response to the urgent crisis of youth incarceration. They have partnered with several local, state and national agencies throughout America to help achieve their goals of ending child imprisonment and valuing communities.

            Youth First Initiative has three goals. The first goal is to end youth incarceration by changing the way we punish the youth. They also purpose on closing youth prisons and using them for alternative treatment. The second goal is to support community-based services and opportunities as an alternative to incarceration. By redirecting funds from incarceration, it can be invested in the community. This method not only helps the youth but the entire community socially and economically. The third goal is to build an organization based on leadership development and sustainability. They hope to run campaigns advocating racial justice and supporting the youth that are impacted.

            To help them achieve these goals, the Youth First Initiative divides its work into state and local campaigns, leadership in communities, and national awareness. On the state and local level, they run campaigns in different areas to maximize awareness. They hope to gain enough support on this level to reach a turning point with the government. Prioritizing leadership from those who were directly impacted by youth incarceration is their best resource. By having communities and legislators hear from those affected, they are able to recognize there are better humane solutions. Lastly, Youth First collaborates with other campaigns across the states to gain knowledge and alliance for the common goal.

            Some of the principles that the organization uses as a guide for their work are to give youth confidence and righteousness. One of their top principles is "When youth need help and have caused harm, society should respond by providing young people with the chance to repair the damage they have caused while also healing the community and their own trauma" (Ryan, 2011). This specific principle shows that the Youth First Initiative prioritizes the well-being of the youth inside the criminal system and those who are at risk of being placed in custody. 
            In conclusion, Youth First Initiative admiral organization that uses data, facts, and previous youth offenders to advocate for their goals. They hope to educate the public on the value of ending youth incarceration and moving towards investing their youth in communities. As the youth will be our future, we need to invest our resources and faith in their lives. 

Youth Lead the Way: A Call for Community Over Incarceration

Youth First Initiative. (2018). Youth Lead the Way: A Call for Community Over Incarceration. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h07hM5D5X1k&t=2s

References

Ryan, L. (2011). No Kids in Prison [Online].Available at: https://www.nokidsinprison.org/about-us (Accessed: 25 March 2020)

Youth First Initiative (2018). Youth Lead the Way: A Call for Community Over Incarceration. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h07hM5D5X1k&t=2s (Accessed: 25 March 2020)

Can Addressing Mental Illness among the Youth Reduce Crime?

Youth crime is a problem across the world. It seems this particular issue in society is on the rise. There is no one cause since every child and population has a unique situation. Some blame lack of moral guidance, lack of coping skills, parents not being involved, lack of employment, and genetics. One thing that I believe has a huge toll on youth crime is mental health. According to Cuellar, McReynolds, and Wasserman (2006), “It is becoming clear that the increasing number of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system is one of the most pressing problems facing law enforcement and corrections today”.

Mental illness can be defined as alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior associated with distress and/or impaired functioning (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2015). It is estimated that between 65 and 70 percent of the youth population that are arrested each year in the United States have a mental disorder (National Conference of State Legislators, 2011). About one in four suffers from a mental illness that it alters their ability to function (National Conference of State Legislators, 2011).  By addressing one major cause of youth crime, we can begin to find solutions on how to fix the issue.

            Mental illness has had a recent increase in awareness across the world. Within the criminal justice system by correctly diagnosing a child with a mental illness, they can avoid jail, arrests, or being charged. Once the child is correctly diagnosed, he/she can be placed in appropriate community care, such as a diversion program. Diversion programs can be an alternative to judicial and probation cases. The goal of these programs is to create a community service that addresses the specific mental illness. By identifying the route issue, we can figure out a course of treatment to help the individual’s needs. These programs utilize social contexts and personal factors to create a course of treatment. The average time a program takes is about4 to 5 months. The treatment usually includes cognitive therapy, psychotherapy, interpersonal skills training, and if possible, family therapy.

These are minor offenders, that can be rehabilitated to break the cycle of crime. Which limits the cost of crime in society as well as increasing safety in society. For the youth that have underlying mental illnesses that commit crimes,  may be treatable and prevent further crimes. The prospect of prevention may be an effective solution to reduce youth crime.

Programs aim to rehabilitate rather than incarcerate the youth. 

PBS NewsHour (2015). Programs aim to rehabilitate rather than incarcerate. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoJIK1jtf70&t=52s. Accessed: 01/04/2020

Reference

Evans Cuellar, A., McReynolds, L. S., & Wasserman, G. A. (2006). A Cure for Crime: Can Mental Health Treatment Diversion Reduce Crime among Youth?, 25(1), 197-214. doi: 10.1002/pam.20162 (Accessed: 01/04/2020)

PBS News Hour. (2015). Programs aim to rehabilitate rather than incarcerate. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoJIK1jtf70&t=52s (Accessed: 01/04/2020)

Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). (2015) Report from the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System: Mental Illness in Canada. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/report-canadian-chronic-disease-surveillance-system-mental-illness-canada-2015.html (Accessed: 01/04/2020)

MacArthur, C.T., & MacArthur, J.D. (2011). Mental Health Needs of Juvenile Offenders: Juvenile Justice Guide Book for Legislators. Denver, CO: National Conference of State Legislators. Available at: https://www.ncsl.org/documents/cj/jjguidebook-complete.pdf (Accessed: 01/04/2020)

Who or What is Responsible for the Death of Keane Mulready-Woods?

           Youth Crime is a growing issue in Ireland for the past 20 years. The rise of children participating in organized crime is partially due to the growing demand for drugs. The youth population in Ireland is tempted for the quick reward they receive for completing requests. These requests range from selling drugs to assault. They get wrapped up in having large sums of cash, a new status, and nice clothes. Sadly Keane Mulready-Woods was one of these children that fell victim and ultimately died from gang-related organized crime. 

At first glance, the murder of Kean Mulready-Woods seems like just a murder case. Looking more in-depth, you will find there is more beneath the surface. Gangs, drugs, children getting involved in organized crime, feuds, and revenge play a huge part in the town of Drogheda. Keane was 17 years old and attended St. Olivers Community College. Recently, he became involved in Irish organized crime. Before, Keane’s death he received threats on his life over social media and was warned several times by the garda. Monday afternoon, his sister posted on Facebook asking for information regarding her brother. Hours later, Keane’s body parts were found spread across Dublin. In one bag, his limbs were found on the pavement in Darndale. The second bag contained his head, hands, and feet in North Dublin. The garda believes that whoever was responsible wanted to send a message to other gangs in the area. 

In further investigation, the garda believes that part of Keane’s death is due to the Drogheda feud. This feud has been going on since July of 2018. Garda estimates there have been over 70 incidents. Keane apparently joined the gang when the rivalry began to get more heated. There were several suspected incidences that Keane participated in such as, throwing a petrol bomb inside the home of a rival drug gang and beating up rivals. 

In conclusion, there is no one way to completely fixed the young getting involved in crime, but there may be small ways to prevent it. Some ways to possibly reduce youth crime are by offering work and reorganizing schools. Offering work may be a possible way for the young population to make money and remain out of jail. In addition, reorganizing schools may help children that are tempted by crime to stay in school. For example, some may not care about school due to bullying, poor teaching, and low motivation. Changing those aspects may allow children to find a school as an opportunity to create a positive future for themselves. If these changes were made sooner, Keane may still be alive.

Woods, A. 2020. Irish Teen Keane Mulready-Woods' killers may have filmed brutal murder. New York Post.

References

Gallagher, C. (2020, Jan 16). Who was murdered teenage Keane mulready-woods? Irish Times. Available at: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/who-was-murdered-teenager-keane-mulready-woods-1.4142124 (Accessed: 28 March 2020)

Lally, C. (2020, Jan 17). Murdered and mutilated: Keane Mulready-Woods and the teenagers of gangland. Irish Times. Available at: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/murdered-and-mutilated-keane-mulready-woods-and-the-teenagers-of-gangland-1.4141968 (Accessed: 28 March 2020)
Woods, A. 2020. Irish Teen Keane Mulready-Woods' killers may have filmed brutal murder. New York Post. Available at: https://nypost.com/2020/01/16/irish-teen-keane-mulready-woods-killers-may-have-filmed-brutal-murder/ (Accessed: 28/03/2020)