By Jeff Wallace, Quad-City Times, February 2, 2020

Juvenile crime is at an all-time high in the Quad-Cities. Unfortunately, however, how juvenile crime is handled in the Quad-Cities isn’t the most proactive and solution-focused. Juvenile justice often focuses on juveniles after they have committed crimes rather than providing an intervention before the crime is ever committed.

In our community, we know that poverty, trauma and lack of resources are high indicators of whether a youngster will fall through the cracks.

I was once a young person in the juvenile justice system since the age of 12. During that time, I was placed on probation, forced to participate in “scared straight” programs, placed in juvenile detention centers, and experienced other forms of “get tough on crime legislation,” that were ineffective

As a result of my experience, I must say that I have developed a bit of insight about the juvenile justice problem. This insight allows me to work in the same facilities I was once housed in as a juvenile, where I work alongside others that once worked with me as a youth.

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