Violence Interruptors in Focus on WNYC Today

WNYC Brian Lehrer Show profiled the work of two programs in the City that deploy violence interrupters to stop shooting violence-- The Crown Heights Save Our Streets (S.O.S) program and Street Corner Resources in Harlem. Chris Watler of the Harlem Community Justice Center also called in to describe the soon to be released East Harlem Juvenile Gang Task Force Reports.

WNYC reporter Cindy Rodriguez developed a story that aired today about violence interrupters that was the subject of the Brian Lehrer interview.

A Social Worker Takes His Teen Mugger Out to Dinner

I nice story on NPR about a compassionate victim and a wayward teen mugger in the Bronx. Social Worker Julio Diaz turned a scary situation into a redemptive moment. Click here to read or listen to the story.

Social Impact Bonds

The Children’s Aid Society is piloting an innovative new idea to fund social services, Social Impact Bonds. According to an article in Crain's New York Business, CAS has received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation for the pilot.

Social Impact Bonds began in the United Kingdom as a way to entice private investment to support more effective social services. Funds committed by private sources are used to improve outcomes over a number of years that deliver savings to government that are then used to pay back investors with a premium and invest in more prevention. For example, in the UK social impact bonds are being used to reduce youth offending over several years. The increased investment needed to engage non-profits and develop new ways of operating paid for by SIB funds.

In theory, Social Impact Bonds should deliver better services at reduced cost and help to shift social programming from expensive interventions, like jail or prison, to more effective prevention services.

Despite the promise of SIBs many questions remain. It is too early to know if SIBs work. There has been no large scale evaluation of the approach. The measures of “success” by design have to be very narrow to generate real cost savings over time. An SIB approach takes time to implement, contrary to the short term approaches most private and government funders currently utilize in the US (one or two year grants). A commitment to action research and evaluation are also needed to make sure that success is understood.

To learn more about Social Impact Bonds visit the Young Foundation’s web site

Johnson Houses Community Center Opens

At a festive new gymnasium in the 21 million dollar James Weldon Johnson Community Center elected officials, residents, religious leaders, non-profit and government representatives came together to celebrate a milestone. The opening of the Community Center nestled within the Johnson Houses public housing development was the culmination of years of planning, and delays.

Ethel Velez, Resident Association President and driving focrce behind the development of the Center, lauded local residents and New York City Housing Authority representatives for working through the delays. She also acknowledged the friends and family of a young man tragically lost to violence.

Johnson Houses has been plagued by youth gang violence in recent years. Speakers including John Rhea, Chairman of the New York City Housing Authority, Melissa Mark Vivverto, City Councilmember, and State Assemblyman Robert Rodriguez, highlighted the center's importance as a place for young people to engage in positive activities.

Performances by the SCAN Johnson Cornerstone After-School All Stars and the Neighborhood Children's Center energized the audience. A meal was provided after the formal program.

In addition to the the leadership of Ethel Velez, and local elected officls, the Johnson Center was made possible through a partnership between the New York City Housing Authority, SCAN, Children's Museum of Manhattan, and Time Warner Cable.

Juvenile Justice Reform Grows in Brooklyn

Flanked by Mark Steward, of the Missouri Youth Services Institute, and Assistant Commissioner Felipe Franco, New York State Commissioner for Children and Family Services Gladys Carrion addressed a packed house at a new model residential program for in custody juveniles. The Brooklyn 4 Brooklyn (B4B) initiative combines a small scale state of the art residential facility in Brooklyn with a continuum of community-based partners. The model is based on the Missouri Model that has been shown to be effective at reducing placement rates while addressing youth needs and public safety. The audience included Liz Glazer, Governor Cuomo's Deputy Secretary for Public Safety, and representatives from the Kings County District Attorney's Office and Administration for Children's Services, as well as a host of community and non-profit representatives.

"Programs Don't Change Kids, People Do"

Located in two adjacent town houses on a residential street across from Medgar Evers College, The B4B facility houses a school staffed by experienced Department of Education Teachers, a recreation room, private showers for residents, on site kitchen, a library, and small cohort dorms. A large family room and outdoor recreation space are used for family gatherings and events.

The real story though are the changes in the way OCFS proposes to work with juveniles in its care. Staff highlighted the extensive training they have received in motivational interviewing and other evidence-based techniques that allow them to, as one worker put it, "be more patient with kids."

Family members play a critical role in the B4B approach. Under the prior approach family visits occurred on Saturdays and could be denied if a young person was not conforming to the rules. Not any more. Now families are included in monthly team meetings to discuss progress and needs and the visits can happen based on the family's schedule. Family members and the larger community are seen as partners that staff actively cultivate to benefit youth in care. Misbehavior or other challenges are viewed as an opportunity for everyone to work harder with a juvenile.

Staffing is consistent and team-based. Separate teams of staff are responsible for the two sections of the facility. The staff a young person is assigned once they enter the facility are the same staff who will work with them throughout their time under supervision. OCFS aftercare staff also regularly visit the facility to work with families and juveniles to prepare for their return home.

The program has six phases. After the initial phases, a juvenile who is making progress can do day visits home leading to overnight stays and eventually aftercare. This seamless case management process promotes accountability among the staff and partners. Youth who fail on aftercare don't go away to another facility. They come back to B4B.

This is the future of juvenile justice. If as a city and state we want to stop turning juveniles into adult criminals we have to change the way we work with kids in crisis. B4B is a bold and much needed turn away from the "kiddy prisons" approach. In the long run the state hopes to reduce returns to placement and save money while promoting public safety.

B4B responds to the 2009 report by the Governor's Task Force on Transforming Juvenile Justice. OCFS worked closely with the Vera Institute and Missouri Youth Services Institute to develop B4B.