By Devin Boyle, Director of Communications
On Monday, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) held a briefing on the Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act (Youth PROMISE Act, H.R. 2721).
The purpose of the briefing was to garner support for legislation that Rep. Scott has tirelessly tried to pass through Congress since 2007; legislation that aims to eliminate the “cradle-to-prison pipeline” that so many disadvantaged kids find themselves traveling down.
The U.S. now has the highest incarceration rate in the world and this has a disproportionate impact on ethic minorities. According to the Children’s Defense Fund, “1 in 3 black and 1 in 6 Latino boys born in 2001 are at risk of imprisonment during their lifetime.”
The Act was written with the goal of preventing such at-risk youth from wandering down a path toward crime through coordinated efforts to thwart and intervene in youth violence. The Act’s key feature is collaboration between law enforcement and other local public and private entities working with children identified as at-risk of involvement in the criminal justice system. An overwhelming body of research shows that this model can work to keep youths out of trouble and help them be responsible and productive citizens.