Guest Column: From prison to college

Educational institutions are relying more and more on disciplinary methods to suppress what many consider typical adolescent behavior. In so doing, some youth are guided directly from school suspensions or expulsions to a path of convictions and prison sentences. These are the characteristics of what researchers have termed the "school-to-prison pipeline," through which young people are increasingly funneled into the juvenile justice system. The non-profit student organization Justice for D.C. Youth's mission is to advocate a fairer and more effective juvenile justice system in Washington with the goal of shifting the city's priorities from incarceration to education. Through my work with JDCY, I attended a conference about this issue where we learned that, in the United States, a black man born in 2001 has a one in three chance of going to prison in his lifetime and a Latino man has a one in six chance.

Since spring 2007, in an effort to combat such startling statistics, JDCY has been constructing a new pipeline. The Prison to College Pipeline is a political education and leadership development program designed to work with youth who've been directly impacted by Washington's juvenile justice system. JDCY trains students from this and other universities to volunteers to tutor, facilitate workshops and coordinate other events using a pedagogical approach that emphasizes popular education and arts activism. Once a week, volunteers go to Oak Hill Youth Center, located just more than 10 miles away from the campus, to assist youth in cultivating the skills and knowledge needed to serve as positive leaders in their communities. Youth who participate in the P2CP build and express awareness of social, cultural and political issues while increasing academic skills and social supports in preparation for college and other post-secondary educational institutions.

However, some time ago, this program wouldn't have been able to exist in the harsh climate of the notorious Oak Hill. Previously, Washington's juvenile justice system had been plagued with inadequate services, and in the past 20 years, there have been numerous reports of youth being abused, inhumanely treated and neglected within the facility. These incidents have compromised the confidence of Washington's citizens in our government's ability to rehabilitate the city's most at-risk youth. The over-incarceration of young people, increasing racial and ethnic disparities within the juvenile justice system and even the implementation of mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent offenses have demonstrated that reform is urgently needed.

So today, as tremendous juvenile justice reform efforts are underway throughout the country, Washington has picked up on the current changes and is riding it down the road to redemption. The Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, governing agency of the city's court-involved youth, has developed a comprehensive approach to juvenile justice and rehabilitation. Their vision is to provide a continuum of care for court-involved youths and their families through programs such as P2CP and others that emphasize individual strengths, personal accountability, skill development, family involvement and community support.

For more information, you can join us as at our panel discussion, Community Based Alternatives to Incarceration, Rehabilitation and Public Safety, being held tomorrow at 7 p.m. in room 0126 of the Armory.

Kenny Bridgers is Justice for D.C. Youth's organizer. He can be reached at kenny@jdcy.org.