Left In Lowell

Prevention and Intervention

33 Responses to “Prevention and Intervention”

1. kpem Says:
   April 13th, 2008 at 11:03 pm

   Mr Milanazzo also deserves kudos for his handeling of the whole library incident. He came up with suggestions that made sense rather than blaming people. (Involving UTEC with the library).

2. Michael in Pawtucketville Says:
   April 14th, 2008 at 6:53 am

   I only read about the library incident on Friday or Saturday. Seems most here already knew about it but it took a few days to make it to the newspaper.

   It still seems to me that crime is a big problem in Lowell in the types of crime and the frequency. Is there a way to look at crime logs online? I’ve looked at them for UML and there’s a constant stream of breaking and entering (cars), traffic citations for drivers ignoring sidewalks, vandalism and some drug use.

   One other thing to help prevent crime: parenting. The way this post is written, it seems like we’re assuming that parents are failing at raising their kids and that a variety of community organizations are needed to try and patch in the potholes.

3. Victoria Says:
   April 14th, 2008 at 10:11 am

   I would say, Michael, that the failure is that of the society we have constructed that forces parents to work so many long hours in order to feed and shelter their families. American society has changed tremendously in the last 50 years, from stay at home mothers and two parent families being the norm, to working parents and divorce. On the other hand, many women were very unhappy being stuck at home with no social or economic power and many couples stayed together despite deep unhappiness or even violence. We have rejected the negatives from our parents’ generation even as earning power has decreased. This has created our current situation for kids, where they spend too much time without adult supervision. Most parents do the best that they can, but right now, there just aren’t enough solutions for families. Non profits have had to step in, but I would definitely give up the work we do if there is a better solution.

4. Always Right in Lowell Says:
   April 14th, 2008 at 10:37 am

   Michael in Pawtucketville: If you attend one of your neighborhood association meetings, you will get an update on crime in the city and crime in your neighborhood. I know Jay Flaherty does a good job informing people at the Belvidere Neighborhood Council meetings he attends regarding his sectors. If you know who the captain of your sector is, contact him or her and ask for the info to be presented at the next Pawtucketville neighborhood association meeting. Hope that helps

5. michael in pawtucketville Says:
   April 14th, 2008 at 10:43 am

   My viewpoint is that we’re taking band-aid approaches to get kids through their teenage years without the skills that they need which then perpetuates the problem.

   Marriage is hard work. Raising kids is hard work. Educating kids is hard work. Having kids isn’t. Perhaps resources should go towards adult education in how to raise kids, how to manage finances, marriages, etc.

   There was a story in the Nashua Telegraph yesterday on truancy rates and the numbers were startling. Something like 900 habitually truant in Nashua. The story centered around the truancy officer (there’s only one) and visiting households to get the kids to school.

   I grew up in a minority single-parent home so I guess we were ahead of the curve 45 years ago. But the culture was still there in books, radio, television and in interacting with other kids. The culture is quite different today to where we have kids beating up other kids and videotaping it for the rest of the world to see.

   My mother worked two jobs so we were completely unsupervised. I started working around 13 and my sisters worked at a relatively early age too. My first job was ten cents an hour. Back then there was television, the library or just playing outside. And I think that sufficed.

   I work with someone whose wife is on our local school board and he’s told me that the afternoon is the most dangerous time for kids to get into trouble. He said that I wouldn’t believe the stories of what happens to some unsupervised kids. I guess we can do a patchwork of non-profits but I think that societies committed to improving their countries either have to educate the adults so that the kids are raised in a competent way or they have to educate their kids to the level where they are competent. I would think that it would be easier to educate the parents as there are then more to work together to ensure that the kids turn out productive. But things don’t work that way in the US.

6. Eleanor Rigby Says:
   April 14th, 2008 at 11:57 am

   Michael and Victoria, you are both right. Parents today are forced to be away from home longer and longer to earn enough to keep their families alive, never mind disposable income. When the parents aren’t there the kids turn to other kids for guidance.

   In my opinion the city can only do so much, but there are things the city can do. When I was growing up there were summertime programs at all the neighborhood schools for elementary school kids to get involved in. It was almost like summer camp for families that couldn’t get out of the city.

   A number of years ago the state ran a sailboat program at the Bellegard boathouse. The city took it over and I think continued it for one year before dropping it. A program like that could be used againn to help tweens over the summer and keep them out of trouble while learning a skill. The sailboats were paid for as I recall from donations from local businesses and the boats were named for those businesses in return?

   As for the older kids, Cape Cod I’ve read in the Globe where Cape Cod is screaming for help because the retailers can’t get seasonal work visa’s to bring in immigrants to work for the summer. I doubt the situation among retailers in Greater Lowell is the same since the Cape is a resort mecca but the city could act as a clearing house in some manner for retailers looking for cheap labor. Maybe someone could figure out how to get the more responsible kids down to the Cape for the summer?

   The only problem that I saw in all of the above as I was growing up and taking advantage of what was available back then, is that the kids from “connected” families seemed to be taken care of first. I don’t know how you reduce that (you can never stop it)

   If any city leaders are reading, feel free to pick and choose or take it all and make it your own without attribution, that’s fine with me as long as we can do something.

   It’s been said many many times before. These kids are our future. So when we’re old and grey and they are deciding what to do with us on a personal and municipal level how do you want them remembering us?

   ER

7. Michael in NH and Pawtucketville Says:
   April 14th, 2008 at 5:58 pm

   re: #4

   I’d prefer to just read the logs myself. On an ongoing basis.

   I like to see the time of day and day of week data on when things happen. I like getting a geographic sense for where there are problems. And I’d like to see the data citywide. Ideally as a graphed overlay on a google map. I’ve noticed a lot of breaking and entering (cars) on the UML South Campus. The lots are described. I’d like to know about assaults on students which I can read the UML Police logs for.

   One thing that I’ve been amazed at lately is how aggressively the UML police and the Lowell Police are ticketing on the University and Riverside avenues. Lights, crosswalks, equipment violations, seatbelt violations, etc. I’m glad to see it because there are so many pedestrians around. And it’s probably good for revenue generation.

   I had a look around at the Lowell Police Department’s website but didn’t find anything remotely like what I’m looking for.

8. kpem Says:
   April 14th, 2008 at 10:26 pm

   Two teens I know graduated from Lowell High School. They had no idea that they would qualify for financial aid to go to college. They also had no idea how to address the envelope to send it out the forms. Yep you heard me right, two Lowell High grads with decent scores did not know how to address an envelope or about the financial aid program. I had to do up an envelope for them to take home for reference. Their single mom has little extra time and the school does not teach common sense. Someone needs to step in to help these kids do “common sense” things because they are not getting the guidance they need elsewhere.

9. Shawn Says:
   April 15th, 2008 at 10:27 am

   kpem,
   Try to have them write a check.. never mind balance a checkbook.
   Basic life skills are overlooked.. maybe we need to create a statewide curriculum framework for “living”.

10. GOP Footsoldier Says:
    April 15th, 2008 at 11:24 am

    Shawn,

    I’ve been saying that sex ed and what I like to call “life skills” should be mandatory statewide and a passing grade in both should be needed to graduate high school.

    Sex Ed is pretty easy.

    Life skills would consist of balancing a check book and a bank statement and then reconciling them. Teaching them about a monthly budget and how to do one. Things of that nature would be such a help to not only kids from one parent homes but all kids in all income brackets because lets face it- do you really think the spoiled ditz from Concord or Carlise could be bothered to balance a check book when mummy and daddy do it for them, pay their cell phone bill, the credit card too? For any one offended by that save it. I grew up around girls and even some boys just like that so I have first hand knowledge. I grew up in the YMCA environment(where I met those spoiled kids). The Y can only do so much and often it is treated as a dumping ground for kids. Moreover the “drop in” program had to be shut down because of gang activity at the Y (mid 90’s). I can remember picking up the spent casing of a .357 in the parking lot and finding Heroin packets with the youth director in the morning doing the parking lot sweeps before the summer camp kids showed up…..

    These problems begin at home with the parents and then spill out into the community to become a problem and then a blight on us all. Just look at that under age party this weekend where the LPD had a few officers hurt one even was sucker punched by a 16 year old kid with brass knuckles. You honestly think that cherub has a stable home life? I grew up here and let me tell you from a 12 year first hand knowledge in Lowell public schools- gangs are made up of kids with sh*tty home lives. They need a place to belong, be themselves, and feel safe. Gangs give them that as sick as it sounds. They don’t know any better. They have the ghetto life drilled into them. Then they think the wrong way. If they didn’t they wouldn’t make fun of the kids who are at school to actually learn. Once that brainwashing happens it’s tough to overcome that. Cops are the enemy. Kids wearing a different color are the enemy. Ask my cousin. He caught a beating at Lowell high for wearing the wrong color one day.

    To make matters worse these little punks are smart enough to scream police brutality any time they get cuffed so the cops are out there with one arm tied behind their backs. This is becoming as bad as the mid 90’s were when I couldn’t wait to go away to college. Something needs to be done and fast or else everyone reading this could be in for a long summer. Think about that while your away at work and these kids have nothing but idle time, bad intentions, motive and opportunity.

11. michael in pawtucketville Says:
    April 15th, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    As part of our homeschooling program in the past, we borrowed a book on the life skills mentioned here (except for the on on applying for financial aid) from an ERC (Educational Resource Center), probably at Boston College. So the curriculum is fairly standardized.

    I’ve never thought of Lowell as the ghetto and I’ve lived in Somerville and have been to the worst parts of Boston. I haven’t seen all of Lowell though.

    Out of curiousity, do kids have the option of going to Lowell Tech? It seems like it in a pretty nice location and the grounds seem quite nice from my view from the road.

12. GOP Footsoldier Says:
    April 15th, 2008 at 12:57 pm

    Michael,

    That is where I went to HS (class of ‘96) and it’s part of the Lowell School system. I was one of the less then half of my graduating class to go to college. Scary huh? Well we all did get to learn a trade. There used to be a joke in Lowell when I was in HS. Puerto Ricans go to the Voke, Asians go to LHS. Sad but for the most part true when I was there. There were/is gangs- TRUST me on that. Anyone who tells you otherwise either is being naive or lying to you.

    Lowell isn’t the ghetto but “ghetto life” is the culture you see on the rap videos and in the lyrics of Gangsta Rap. That’s the mentality I’m referring to. If any of you reading this would like to do some further reading on this epidemic in America I suggest googling Jason Whitlock a black sports columnist/social commentator who is trying to shed some light on this mentality and it’s crippling effect of inner city youth. His stuff will make you think to say the least.

13. Shawn Says:
    April 15th, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    The tech has become an elite school, known not to take most of the kids who really need to learn a skill or trade.
    Its focus on college placement spoils it even more, as the kids who spent years there learning a trade are then encouraged to forget that trade and go do something else in college. The towns have thus wasted that time and resources.

    The PAYA curriculum is not too bad when working with at-risk kids.
    (http://www.caseylifeskills.org/pages/res/PAYA/Module3/Intro-19.pdf)

    Its broken down into measurable units, easily mastered, and very specific on its goals and skills.

    I use different portions of that to teach some skills (like shopping, budgeting, banking).

    I do admit, however, that there are parts of Lowell that I do not allow my kids to hang out in. Some have really improved over the years.. others still have a ways to go.

14. michael in pawtucketville Says:
    April 15th, 2008 at 3:23 pm

    I’m not familiar with the genres that you mentioned; perhaps I’m a little too old. I thought that Lowell Tech had a dual-enrollment plan with UML which would be a great way to pick up college credits while in high school.

15. kpem Says:
    April 15th, 2008 at 9:53 pm

    Shawn is right. The Voke has now become “the” school to get into. The teens I know hope they win the lottery. I am trying to think back though as to whether I really knew how to balance a checkbook out of highschool or fill out financial aid paperwork. I think our parents were around to do all that stuff for us. I know I could atleast address an envelope (God we sent alot of mail to the New Kids on the Block Fan club) I wonder if I have now reached the age were I just ask “what is up with these teens”?

16. Michael in Pawtucketville Says:
    April 15th, 2008 at 10:56 pm

    I’m glad that there’s a school for those that want to learn.

    I went to college for $3,500 (now $50,000) and filled out a request for aid as part of the application. It was easy to fill out. How much do you want in a grant and how much do you want in a loan? Two lines.

    Anyone fill out an FAFSA form for student and parent these days? I did that last year and the process took about two weeks. You have to sign up for accounts which take a few days to turnaround and then have to provide all kinds of financial and personal information. It can be a challenge getting the stuff together.

    I don’t think that I had a checkbook until 19 or 20 when I had a full-time job. I don’t think that I balanced it back then either. We’re cleaning the whole house this week and I’ve done the bedrooms, loft and living room with our son. He volunteers to help. I have to ask our daughter to help and she does but she goes back to doing what she wants to afterwards. It’s nice to have strong and agile kids to help with major cleaning jobs around the house. It’s that kind of attitude which is why I don’t mind paying their college bills.

    Does Lowell Tech run purely by lottery or does it have exam aspects to it? The setting seems to certainly be nice enough.

17. Victoria Says:
    April 16th, 2008 at 6:53 am

    At ONE Lowell we work with parents of kids in gangs. While some kids do come from homes where parents neglect or abuse their children, others come from homes where parents are doing the best they can - and I’d be happy to talk with anyone about what we’ve learned.

    I wish I knew more about the Voc, as their graduation rates for subgroups, such as Special Ed (82%) or Hispanics (91%) far exceeds that at LHS, but I don’t know enough about why there is such a discrepency. Perhaps if we understood better about the demograpics of students at the Voc and what they were doing so well with these kids, we may be able to transfer that knowledge to help improve the graduation rate for these subgroups at LHS.

    Filling out the FAFSA was required by the colleges my daughters attend. If the parent does not have the language capacity to fill out the form, the child will not be eligible for financial aid.

18. GOP Footsoldier Says:
    April 16th, 2008 at 7:28 am

    Victoria,

    Thank you. I know in human services you may hear it a lot but from me and my family- thank you. Working with gang kids is VERY difficult (I know) but please continue to do so. Your helping the city and it’s residents by doing what your doing.

19. waittilnextyr Says:
    April 16th, 2008 at 9:15 am

    Graduation rates can be a bit misleading, at least with regard to college preparation. The Globe online has published the results of a study tracking high school graduates continuing in MA colleges, and measures the remedial course rate and continued college education rate.

    Both Lowell High School and Greater Lowell Tech had fairly high percentages for needed remedial courses in college, although GLT was higher.

    School LHS GLT
    2005 Grads 792 388
    % in college 44 24
    % Remedial 49 68
    % into 2nd yr 81 71

    So, not only should the graduation rates be improved, but the percentage needing remedial courses in college should be lowered significantly.

20. Victoria Says:
    April 16th, 2008 at 2:30 pm

    Thanks, GOP Footsoldier, I appreciate that.

21. kpem Says:
    April 16th, 2008 at 7:45 pm

    Viktoria,
    I am sure it is just the fact that they like what they are learning. When I went to highschool the “smart” kids went to the highschool and those needing to learn a trade went to the voke. But after I went to the highschool I heard from all my friends how enjoyable the voke was. I am sure that is the case that is the case today. I really feel that is still the case today. We should follow the lead from some other countries and realize that not everyone is “college material” and that there are absolutely great careers and noble careers in such programs as health services. Why not more money for the voke if the demand is so high?

22. fishydude Says:
    April 16th, 2008 at 8:01 pm

    I had to laugh at “Eleanor’s” comment that parents have to work more and them follow it up with suggestions that require more taxes which then require more work just stay even.
    And of course there are the obligatory “I think X is a good idea so lets get a law past to force everyone to do it.” The X can be any number of ideas that may be good ideas. But why do liberals always want to force their “good ideas” into law for everyone else?
    As for gangs? Solution is simple. Gangs exist for only one reason. To violate the rights of others. As such the first amendment right to freedom of association does not apply. It should be a crime just to be a gang member. 10 year minimum sentence. Commit an overt crime while a gang member and automatic 20 year sentence enhancement.
    Parents need to start being parents. The worst parents are the one who think they should be their child’s friend.
    Gangs terrorize communities. And the parents of the gang member often know exactly what they are doing. Parents of gang members living on my tax dollars should lose all “rights” to ever collect any public assistance of any kind. Getting subsidized by me is not a right. It is a privilege. We should be demanding as many restrictions on this privilege as necessary to make sure we are not subsidizing criminals. That just makes us all accomplices in the gang violence.

23. Michael in NH and Pawtucketville Says:
    April 17th, 2008 at 6:52 am

    There was a police shooting of a high-school student that was threatening his mother with a knife. He’s in critical condition. I think that the police are a little jumpy after the previous incident and will be taking fewer chances in dangerous situations this summer.

24. waittilnextyr Says:
    April 17th, 2008 at 7:06 am

    “It should be a crime just to be a gang member. 10 year minimum sentence.”

    Sounds a bit “fishy” to me.

25. Tim Little Says:
    April 17th, 2008 at 10:09 am

    Certainly fishydude’s analysis of “gang culture” is a rather obvious oversimplification. Gangs are hardly my area of expertise, but it strikes me that the dynamics of a) the attraction of gangs to disaffected youth and b) what keeps the cycle going are much more complex than he lets on.

    Sort of speaking of which, I came across an interesting organization the other night while watching (of all things!) Globe Trekker on ‘GBH. Homeboy Industries is a organzation started by a Jesuit priest in LA dedicated to helping kids and young adults transition from the gang lifestyle. Pretty cool stuff: http://www.homeboy-industries.org/index.php

    Another resource that caught my attention quite some time ago is the Community Conferencing Center, based in Baltimore (http://www.communityconferencing.org/index.asp). The mission statement reads as follows:

    “The mission of the Community Conferencing Center is to provide a highly participatory, community-based process for people to transform their conflicts into cooperation, take collective and personal responsibility for action, and improve their quality of life. We believe people will generate creative and lasting solutions to their conflicts when everyone affected by a conflict is given a safe forum to tell his or her story and be part of the solution. Through partnerships with people, neighborhoods, governments and institutions, the Community Conferencing Center helps Maryland communities resolve serious community and behavioral conflicts as well as unlawful acts that result in harm to citizens and their communities. The Community Conferencing Center also coordinates Community Conferencing efforts by providing training and technical assistance and evaluation services.”

    One other element of “life skills education” that I think is worthy of further investigation is the incorporation of mindfulness practices, along the lines suggested by the Association for Mindfulness in Education (http://www.mindfuleducation.org/). Of course finding room for this in the school/city budget is something else again, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

26. joe Says:
    April 17th, 2008 at 2:11 pm

    Many thanks to Victoria at One Lowell.

    They are a blessing for this city.

27. fishydude Says:
    April 17th, 2008 at 5:53 pm

    When you peel all of the rationalizations for gangs it boils down to a criminal organization.
    Some will say they joins a gang for protection. From what? Other gangs.
    Gang culture in violent. Children are required to commit acts of violence against randomly chosen targets to get into the gangs. They are subjected to beatings that could kill them by members of the gang they are joining. The cycle perpetuates because they are just doing to new members what was done to them. A similar rationale is given in frat houses for continued hazing of new “members.”
    The fact remains that gang members are criminals. They have all had to commit violent crimes to become members.
    There are plenty of people who will make excuses for the gang bangers. It is time to stop making excuses and start making the price for joining a gang very high to the gang banger. Currently they act with impunity because they terrorize potential witness into silence. When will the neighbors decide enough is enough and take back their lives and neighborhoods from the hoods? When will they decide they mo longer want to have to worry that they wore the wrong color shirt?
    Talking does not work. It gives power to the gangs that they should not be given. No negotiations. No more waiting for a gang to commit an overt act and hoping witnesses will testify.
    In Boston, gang members have hunted down jurors in the trials of fellow gang members. When will enough be enough?
    Even uber liberal California passed a sentence enhancement form crimes committed by gangs.

28. K-R-S Says:
    April 17th, 2008 at 8:53 pm

    In reading all of the comments, I have to say I tend to agree with some of Fishy’s comments.
    I’ve always felt that gang activity is akin to organized crime and as such should be prosecuted.
    In other communities around the country, there have been many differant initiatives that have been implemented;
    1.) One city filed suit against the gang/gangs that had proliferated and terrorized their city.
    2.) Prosecution of gang members under the RICO Act, under Fed jurisdiction.
    3.) Reconstitute the Massachusetts court sytem that actually punishes criminals for their crimes, rather than releasing violent offenders back to the street to commit more violent crimes. In NH, you commit a crime, you’ll do your time very quickly. Our court system is laughable. I am confident that many police and warrant officers would agree.

    Many cities throughout the Commonwealth are experiencing the same issue.
    Violence and/or perceived violence has a direct impact on livibility, property values and basic economics. The Mass Court system has to get on board, unfortunately, organizational inertia is not given to reorganization for system improvement.

    These criminals are not about puppy dogs and twinkies..the generation coming up, has a strong element of sociopathic behavior. Much of it has to do with awful family situations (abuses, you can only begin to imagine), violence in media, poor parenting, poverty and so on..
    Unfortunately these teenage terrorists grow up to become apart of system, consistently draining resources throughout their entire lives.

    And some call me liberal…HA!

29. Michael in NH and Pawtucketville Says:
    April 17th, 2008 at 9:12 pm

    The prison population has gone from 300 to 2,500 since the 1980s. New Hampshire’s population hasn’t doubled in the same period of time. Judges are cognizant of the cost problems with jailing so many people. Population densities are lower in NH and certainly most of the big cities (by NH standards) are affluent. But there are gang problems in Manchester and Nashua.

    Getting kids productive in the long run has to be cheaper. I guess you can jail them now to get relief but without some plan to address the root problem, your problem grows exponentially. There are some states considering the release of inmates due to the sheer costs of housing them.

30. K-R-S Says:
    April 17th, 2008 at 10:22 pm

    My point, Michael, is that the MA court system is far too lenient. Punishment only works if it is immediate. Humans by nature have a very short memory and the more time allowed to lapse, results in their somehow justifying their behavior.
    In the long run, they (the “criminals”) cost far more, both in local resources (local funds), social service reliance and in overall economic cost.
    I’m a wholehearted advocate of an enhanced prison system that actually rehabilitates.
    The great proportion of folks that wind up in prison are undereducated,underskilled, minority and poor.
    We can fix the undereducated and the underskilled.
    In fact, in MA, it used to be that MA prisons were self sustaining to a degree, provided inmates opportunities for job skills (mainly trades). Over the years, through the renegotiation of contracts, all of that self sustainability, is gone.
    Another issue:
    Unfortunately, with the closing of many of our state hospitals, our prisons have become warehouses for alot of very sick people (many of whom in olden days would have wound up committed to State Mental Health Facilities).
    You are correct, prisons offer a modicum of releif. It doesn’t address the root problem.
    According to research I’ve seen, youth social services have failed miserably. The data across the nation is abysmal.
    I do beleive that orgs. like UTEC, ONE Lowell, etc…offer a great deal of support to a portion of folks who actually WANT the assistance.

    There are a great deal more, that view these types of services as a general nuisance and point right back to the parents. The kids wind up emulating the parents behavior. How do we as a society regulate that?

    The fact is, we can only assist those that actually WANT it.
    The rest of society cannot shoulder the burden of doing all of the work.
    A good portion of the population I deal with, are the kids coming out of DSS and DYS. After they turned 18, their care and follow up went down the tubes.
    Then they become a part of the adult system, where they are not mature enough to make life decisions in their late teens, that many others make much later in their 20’s, 30’s and so on.
    I’m going to stop there, I might get myself in trouble.
    However, I’m sure that Shawn can weigh in with some wisdom gleaned from experience w/ this tough population.

    I can’t believe that NH only has 2,500 inmates. I will look into that.
    I would presume that the increase in the population may be in proportion with overall statewide population increases. The question I have for NH, is what is the recidivism rate? That figure is truly telling as to the philosopy of immediate incarceration.
    The recid. rate in MA is quite high.
    This is a discussion unto itself. There are so many variables that play a part in this process. Ultimately, one cannot argue that our court & prison system require a revamp.

31. Michael in Pawtucketville Says:
    April 18th, 2008 at 7:00 am

    > My point, Michael, is that the MA court system is far too lenient.
    > Punishment only works if it is immediate. Humans by nature have a
    > very short memory and the more time allowed to lapse, results in
    > their somehow justifying their behavior.

    Please tell that to Gerald Amirault.

    Families go through unproductive devastation inhaving to deal with the
    criminal justice system. Whether the person is guilty or innocent. The
    Duke Lacrosse Case and the Innocence Project provide evidence of that.

    So the net result is a family that has to deal with far more
    difficulties and society doesn’t provide any help. And so you perpetuate
    the cycle.

    > In the long run, they (the “criminals”) cost far more, both in local
    > resources (local funds), social service reliance and in overall
    > economic cost.

    That’s hitting states and will continue to hit states. With an economic
    downturn in many areas and many other demands (education, roads, etc.),
    states will have to make tough choices about prisons.

    > I’m a wholehearted advocate of an enhanced prison system that actually
    > rehabilitates. The great proportion of folks that wind up in prison
    > are undereducated,underskilled, minority and poor. We can fix the
    > undereducated and the underskilled.

    I have my doubts.

    > In fact, in MA, it used to be that MA prisons were self sustaining to
    > a degree, provided inmates opportunities for job skills (mainly
    > trades). Over the years, through the renegotiation of contracts, all
    > of that self sustainability, is gone.

    I think that the nature of work has changed drastically over the years.

    In NH, there’s a bill to not treat older teens as adults as they wind
    up becoming better criminals in the adult criminal justice system. NH
    tried that approach, probably to save money, and it isn’t working well.

    > Unfortunately, with the closing of many of our state hospitals, our
    > prisons have become warehouses for alot of very sick people (many of
    > whom in olden days would have wound up committed to State Mental
    > Health Facilities).

    Doing a good job at mental health services is very hard institutionally.
    It’s hard for a family to deal with but I think that it’s better handled
    by families if the families have the capacity. I think that judges prefer
    to let families deal with mental health problems (at least in NH) as they
    don’t want the prison system to have to pay for the medical costs in the
    forms of medications, doctors and therapy.

    > You are correct, prisons offer a modicum of releif. It doesn’t address
    > the root problem. According to research I’ve seen, youth social
    > services have failed miserably. The data across the nation is abysmal.
    > I do beleive that orgs. like UTEC, ONE Lowell, etc…offer a great deal
    > of support to a portion of folks who actually WANT the assistance.

    > There are a great deal more, that view these types of services as a
    > general nuisance and point right back to the parents. The kids wind up
    > emulating the parents behavior. How do we as a society regulate that?

    You have to train the parents. I think that I mentioned this earlier.
    You can train the parents or the kids. If you train the parents, you get
    the benefits of better parents and they pass that on to the kids. But how
    do you do that in a free society?

    > The fact is, we can only assist those that actually WANT it.

    I think that a lot of families are so caught up in their routines that
    they don’t think about meta-improvements.

    > The rest of society cannot shoulder the burden of doing all of the work.

    I agree. Some level of personal and family responsibility is required.
    But I think that many do not even understand that.

    > A good portion of the population I deal with, are the kids coming out
    > of DSS and DYS. After they turned 18, their care and follow up went
    > down the tubes. Then they become a part of the adult system, where
    > they are not mature enough to make life decisions in their late teens,
    > that many others make much later in their 20’s, 30’s and so on.

    It seems that if the family breaks down, the country breaks down.

    I can’t believe that NH only has 2,500 inmates. I will look into that.
    I would presume that the increase in the population may be in proportion with overall statewide population increases. The question I have for NH, is what is the recidivism rate? That figure is truly telling as to the philosopy of immediate incarceration.
    The recid. rate in MA is quite high.

    http://www.nh.gov/nhdoc/population.html

    In 1812, it was 1. 2005: 2487, 2006: 2594, 2007: 2615. The article I
    got the number from was a few years old. NH has a fairly affluent
    population, very little in social services and it’s cold here. So
    those looking to move here for social services face a harsh time of
    it. I think that the laws in the state discourages populations that
    generate higher proportions of crime. One of the reasons why NH does
    so well in Best Places to Live surveys is low crime.

32. Tim Little Says:
    April 18th, 2008 at 12:54 pm

    Again, I’m no expert on these matters, but much that has been said here seems to make sense. Lest anyone think that I believe that violent/antisocial behavior should be condoned, I obviously don’t. Society should have clear standards of what is/isn’t acceptable behavior, and needs to hold individuals accountable for their actions. I agree with Kristen that the court system needs improvement, however it is also very clear to me that this is indeed a Band-Aid approach to a social cancer.

    Part of the problem with recidivism is that the prison industry is just that: prisons become factories for criminals. If we want criminals to develop life skills it’s incumbent upon society to make sure that they’re learning the right ones, i.e., “reprogramming” them to become productive members of society. This implies, of course, that we understand that criminal behavior is not endemic to particular indviduals, but is a learned behavior that can be corrected with the right approach. Part of that approach, it seems to me, is to be both tough towards behavior and compassionate towards individuals. Of course this doesn’t even get into criminal behavior that stems from mental illness….

    There have been many studies that look at the risk factors for gang involvement; one long-term study of adolescents in four North American cities (http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/cp/bldngevd/2007-yg-2-en.asp) comes up with a pretty comprehensive list:

    ———————————————————————————————-
    Individual: prior delinquency; illegal gun ownership; drug trafficking; desire for group rewards such as status, identity, self-esteem, companionship and protection; anti-social attitudes; aggression; alcohol and drug use; early or precocious sexual activity; violent victimization

    Peer Group: high commitment to delinquent peers; street socialization; gang members in class; friends who use drugs or who are gang members; interaction with delinquent peers; pre-teen exposure to stress

    School: poor school performance; low educational aspirations, especially among young females; negative labelling by teachers; high levels of anti-social behavior; few teacher role models; educational frustration; low attachment to school; learning difficulties

    Family: family disorganization, including broken homes and parental drug and/or alcohol abuse; family violence, neglect and drug addiction; family members in a gang; lack of adult and parental role models, parental criminality, parents with violent attitudes, siblings with anti-social behaviors; extreme economic deprivation

    Community: social disorganization, including high poverty and residential mobility; high crime neighborhood/neighborhood youth in trouble; presence of gangs in the neighborhood; availability or perceived access to drugs in the neighborhood; availability of firearms; cultural norms supporting gang behavior; feeling unsafe in the neighborhood
    ———————————————————————————————-

    The report summarizes the major risk factors as follows: negative influences in the youth’s life; limited attachment to the community; over-reliance on anti-social peers; poor parental supervision; alcohol and drug abuse; poor educational or employment potential; a need for recognition and belonging.

    Interestingly another study out of California (http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/fs200001.pdf) suggests that poor cultural assimilation actually has little correlation to gang involvement (thoroughly debunking one of my long-held assumptions!):

    “These findings suggest that while services focusing solely on cultural identity issues may have benefits, they will not be effective in preventing or reducing gang involvement of Vietnamese youth. Instead, services should focus on improving youth attitudes about school, reducing feelings of alienation, and modifying perceptions that gangs are beneficial to their members. Furthermore, services will prevent gang involvement if they address family conflict and provide some buffer against the influence of neighborhood gangs.”

    In my view, the common theme seems to be a high degree of environmental stress (on top of the normal stresses of adolescent life), coupled by poor stress-management skills. Each is avoidable. A long-term solution depends upon teaching stress management skills to at-risk youth while simultaneously alleviating the environmental factors for environmental stress. And, since many kids remain trapped in “gang culture” into adulthood simply because they don’t see any way out (either through fear of retribution or lack of perceived alternatives), provide resources so that those that do fall through the cracks are able to get their lives back on track.

    In short, we’re all in this together and we collectively need to cultivate a stronger community — one that provides an infrastructure of support (economic, social, educational) so that parents and children are able to avoid the sorts of conditions that give rise to and perpetuate gang culture.

33. Tim Little Says:
    April 18th, 2008 at 1:22 pm

    Incidentally, this seems like an appropriate place to mention an article that appeared in the Globe a few months ago about an interesting program at the Devens Federal Medical Center:

    http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/12/15/meditation_practice_frees_inmates/

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