Earlier this month, a 16-year-old male suspect was arrested and charged in the shooting death of a local high school student. Additionally, warrants have been issued for two more Shelby County teens (ages 17 and 15), both of whom will be charged with first-degree murder (Dudding, 2009).
Unfortunately, too many children in our community commit criminal acts and become involved in the justice system. In 2006, the number of Shelby County Juvenile Court referrals exceeded 14,000+ (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2006).
The Future of Children recently released a paper that provides a review of promising practices designed to prevent juvenile crime. Cost-effective primary prevention designs include the Nurse Home Visitation Program and the Perry Preschool Program, both interventions designed to enhance parenting skills and inspire families to maximize their child’s social, cognitive and language development during a child’s first years of life. Both programs have been found to reduce delinquency rates in participants throughout their lifetimes.
How can we reduce juvenile delinquency and promote pro-social development among children in our community? Implement evidence-based programs that emphasize family interactions and promote healthy brain growth and improved learning environments for vulnerable young children. To reach a preferred future for our city we must act now to invest wisely in the well-being of young children and their families.
For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute webpage at: http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Home; and The State of Children in Memphis & Shelby County Databook, available at: http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Databook.php
References:
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, KIDS COUNT Data Center, www.kidscount.org.
Dudding, H. (2009, March 26). 16-year-old charges in teen’s shooting death; 2 other suspects shot. The Commercial Appeal, Retrieved March 31, 2009 from http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/mar/26/crime-report-resident-answers-knock-door-finds-sho/
The Future of Children. (2009). Best Practices in Juvenile Justice Reform. Princeton University and The Brookings Institution. Retrieved March 31, 2009 from http://www.futureofchildren.org/newsletter2861/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=863194
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The Urban Child Institute's Center for Urban Child Policy promotes the healthy brain development of young children through data-driven research and interventions.
Promoting optimal early childhood brain development
The Urban Child Institute's Center for Urban Child Policy promotes the healthy brain development of young children through data-driven research and interventions.
CUCP | Strategies
Assess current conditions that influence the healthy brain development of young children in Memphis and Shelby County.
Understand the implications of early childhood development.
Identify gaps in the safety net intended to support young children and their families.
Raise public and political awareness and concern with the healthy early brain development of children.
Understand the implications of early childhood development.
Identify gaps in the safety net intended to support young children and their families.
Raise public and political awareness and concern with the healthy early brain development of children.
CUCP | Core Beliefs
Between birth and age three, a child's brain develops at an astonishing pace. The early years are the most active period for establishing neural connections.
Children grow in an environment of relationships. Their healthy development depends on the well-being of their families and communities.
Brain plasticity decreases over time, and getting it right early is more effective and less costly to society.
By doing what we know how to do today - informed by best practices and data-driven research - we are making the investment necessary to insure a bright future for children and our community.
Children grow in an environment of relationships. Their healthy development depends on the well-being of their families and communities.
Brain plasticity decreases over time, and getting it right early is more effective and less costly to society.
By doing what we know how to do today - informed by best practices and data-driven research - we are making the investment necessary to insure a bright future for children and our community.
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