Alternative pathways offer opportunities for all young persons facing challenges or at risk of entering the justice system. Programs support youth as they make choices to steer away from crime and get a fresh start. They give young people resources for learning and achievement and empower entire communities to build pathways beyond the justice system.
The Cycle
Youth who are at risk of incarceration often share certain challenges. Their schools are crowded. They spend classroom time being disciplined instead of learning; they don’t see the value or possibility of continued education. Their families struggle against poverty and unemployment.
The impacts of a parent going to prison can have devastating consequences over generations. When a wage-earner is incarcerated, the financial setbacks alone are enough to impoverish a family barely making ends meet. According to the American Psychological Association, a child with a parent behind bars must cope with shame and poverty as well as the emotional loss of a mother or father.
Students who perform poorly in school are more likely to drop out or become “push-outs.” Northeastern University published a national study of what happens to young men who dropped out of high school. Among their findings: while young black males suffered the most, young men in every race group were 47 times more likely to be incarcerated than similarly aged young men who graduated from a four-year college. 1
YOUNG MEN IN EVERY RACE GROUP WERE 47 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE INCARCERATED THAN SIMILARLY AGED YOUNG MEN WHO GRADUATED FROM A FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE.
Schools’ zero tolerance policies can exacerbate the situation. These policies require suspensions and expulsions for disruptive behavior, targeting students who are late to class, miss a day of school, or act out with verbal or physical violence.
Time spent in the juvenile justice system can be dehumanizing, isolating and proven to further limit an adolescent’s chances of a more promising future. More and more, studies are pointing to the fact that jail is an especially terrifying place for youth, and isolated confinement does not teach better behavior toward themselves or others.
The question becomes, what are appropriate responses for young people who get into trouble and commit a crime?
Our Approach
It’s time to interrupt the cycle of incarceration before it begins. Imagine strengthening families and communities instead of tearing them apart. Imagine investing in early education instead of juvenile detention. Imagine changing the system and giving young people of all backgrounds the opportunity to change their futures for the better.
At-risk youth deserve this frequent and persistent reminder: alternative pathways are out there. Organizations focusing on community empowerment start early and work with children to circumvent the criminal justice system entirely. Diversion programs focus on counseling, case management and treatment for those who have already been in trouble. Other programs target system-wide changes through early education reform, judicial process and opportunities for alternative sentences.
Each approach offers immersive experiences that confront the underlying causes of crime and strengthen communities over time. They create alternative pathways for youth before incarceration, after a first-time offense and beyond:
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Sentencing Reform →
