Tell Congress to Get Smart on Youth Crime Prevention

They say your priorities are reflected in how you spend your money and time. If that's the case, consider the fact that California spends $216,000 per youth it locks up, but spends just $8,000 on each student in Oakland's public schools.

Right now, states across the nation spend far more to punish juvenile offenders than to prevent their criminal involvement in the first place. Especially as corrections budgets across the country explode, it's time to take a smarter stance on juvenile justice — before such youth turn into the next wave of incarcerated adults.

New legislation pending in Congress would do just that. In 2008, over 2 million kids were arrested by United States law enforcement agencies. The Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act (Youth PROMISE) is designed to prevent such kids from entering the justice system in the first place. By providing at-risk youth with the tools necessary to avoid criminal behavior, this legislation would be a major step in breaking the vicious cycle of incarceration we've constructed.

Join other Change.org readers in telling Congress to pass this important legislation. Take a stand for this country's youth, who are often overlooked until it's too late.

Entry into a life of crime and incarceration typically begins early. So as we choose to spend billions on prisons, rather than education, we're continuing to shuffle still more children into the system.

After all, it's easy to see youth in the juvenile justice system as a lost cause — social throwaways. It's easy to think of such kids as "not my problem" — because as long as they're not our kids, what do they matter? The fact is, though, that such kids are our neighbors, our potential future leaders and ultimately our collective responsibility. And it's far better to accept that responsibility now, in our schools and our cities, than when youth end up in our prisons.

Back in California, which boasts one of the nation's more lopsided prison-to-schools spending ratios, the need for the Youth PROMISE Act is clear. That's why the Los Angeles County sheriff recently testified before Congress, calling the Youth PROMISE Act "one of the most important pieces of legislation our nation could ever enact." After all, juvenile justice isn't just a California issue — it affects every community and state, whether you're a parent or just a taxpayer.

Show your support for the Youth PROMISE Act by signing the petition below. Let your representatives in Washington know that we value all of our country's children — and that we'd rather see them succeed than become just another statistic.

Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet Photography