A Fresh Start (Juvenile Justice pt 2)

It is the beginning of a new year. Most of us have spent the holidays with loved ones, got some much needed rest, and have reflected on the past year. Many of us have come into the new year with a sense of renewal and new purpose. We make resolutions such as spending more time with our families, starting a business, becoming healthier, or becoming more spiritual. We do this because we understand the value of second chances and being able to change. Our children who are involved in the justice system need to feel this same sense of change.

In the summer of last year, the Supreme Court barred mandatory life sentences for minors.  In the same vein of this decision, it is important to remember that there are children in our community who have been involved in the justice system and they need to be afforded second chances not only by the state, but also in terms of how we as citizens interact with them. It is a disservice to those children to deny them the chance to become productive members of society when they have reached adulthood because of the mistakes they have made in their childhood and it is important that they understand that the mistakes they made as children may not determine where they end up in life. 

How can we help them get back on the right track? Here are some ideas:

• Help them get extra help in terms of education
• Help them find a mentor
• Hold a professional dress seminar or take them to a store and show them how to dress professionally
• Get them involved in sports or other extracurricular activities
• Help them find a productive way to relieve stress and manage anger (exercise, martial arts/boxing, writing poetry, etc)
• If need be, help them enroll in a drug/alcohol rehabilitation program.

We cannot simply expect the juvenile justice system to effectively give these children a sense of hope. The families and communities of these children can make a bigger difference in their lives. The ideas above are just a few ways to help the kids. What they really need is love, someone to tell them that they are important, and ways to start becoming more productive. All in all, they are the future and we must invest in them.

*picture courtesy of the Nature Conservancy*