CLEVELAND — Recent headlines suggest that Cleveland’s young people are out of control, terrorizing local communities — suggesting that a “tough on crime” approach is the only viable response.
Yes, we should be concerned when people are harmed. But we also need to recognize that young people are in crisis and more likely themselves to be victims of violence.
Consider that, in Cuyahoga County, a recent study found that more than two-thirds of kids in the juvenile justice system between 2010 and 2014 had prior child welfare system involvement. Or another recent study that found kids previously incarcerated in Ohio were more likely to die an early death after release — up to nine times more likely for girls — than Medicaid-enrolled youth.
Failure to address childhood trauma has dire consequences. Not recognizing the broader context risks undermining decades of remarkable progress, both locally and throughout our state, and puts all of us at risk of repeating the mistakes of the past that have left us in harm’s way today.
While some news outlets are quick to point out the recent rise in violence, where are the headlines touting the amazing drop in youth crime since the mid-1990s? That’s right – kids have been not only been committing fewer offenses, but 2019 saw the fewest arrests of youth, including for serious offenses, in nearly four decades in the United States.
This is true locally, as well. Last year, there were just under 3,000 delinquency cases in Cuyahoga County, compared to 8,451 cases in 2003. While assaults are half what they were, homicides and robbery charges have steadily increased – and access to guns has also raised the stakes considerably.
In my conversations with young people, I repeatedly hear how many kids carry guns to protect themselves, how they experience violence and fear for themselves and loved ones.
Research confirms this. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) reported in December that, “A recent exhaustive study of motivations for gun possession and use by young people in violence-torn sections of three New York City boroughs confirms that fear and desire for physical safety, more than criminal inclination, drive young people to carry and use firearms.”
Among recommendations in the NIJ report: We should invest in peer support and culturally responsive programs like violence interrupters, as well as bringing services to spaces where kids are, using credible messengers and creating living-wage jobs for youth.
We have to be thoughtful and proactive, not reactive and resorting to racialized tropes and ineffective policies that not only disproportionately harm Black and Brown kids, but also cost taxpayers more without improving overall safety.
So where to go from here? In a word: connection. We need to counter the pervasive sense of alienation that too many of our youth experience with robust, relational programs that make our young people feel they belong, that they matter.
Continuing to invest in community-based programming that has been proven effective at addressing the needs of youth at risk is a no-brainer. Many of these programs — including those supported by the Ohio Department of Youth Services (ODYS) Targeted RECLAIM programming and the Behavioral Health/Juvenile Justice Initiative — have helped to not only reduce recidivism but also address some of the factors that contribute to youthful offending behaviors, making everyone more safe.
More can be done, especially in preventing violence by mitigating childhood trauma, like investing in community youth crisis and stabilization, trauma-informed and youth-driven programming, school-based positive student supports, comprehensive restorative justice and age-appropriate policing that applies an understanding of adolescent development.
Gabriella Celeste is policy director for the Schubert Center for Child Studies at Case Western Reserve University.
Stakeholders – in Juvenile Court, city and county child-serving agencies and among police, ODYS, youth organizations and community partners – must adopt a shared understanding and approach to address this issue in a coordinated way, informed by good data and research. We must also invest in economic opportunity and thriving neighborhoods – green spaces, lighting, public art and inviting recreational places – to create “safety” for all.
Children are our cultural barometers. Ultimately, our communities are “safe” only when the most vulnerable among us are safe. This starts by connecting with our youth.
Gabriella Celeste is the policy director for the Schubert Center for Child Studies at Case Western Reserve University and a member of the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services Advisory Board.
Have something to say about this topic?
* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.
* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.
