America's
"Cradle to "Prison" Pipeline is a phrase that has been coined by the
Children’s Defense Fund
(CDF) and CDF Founder, Marian Wright Edelman, to describe
the reality of a national crisis. An alarming rate of young
men are at risk of going to prison. According to a published
report of CDF, one in three Black boys, as well as one in
six Latino boys, who were born in 2001, have a lifetime risk
of being incarcerated. Even more tragic are the underlying
factors cited by CDF as the leading causes of such dismal
paths: lack of access to healthcare (physical and mental),
child abuse, lack of quality early childhood education and
educational disadvantages, resulting from failing schools.There are several entry and exit points in the "Cradle to Prison Pipeline." Some young people enter the "pipeline" at birth when they are born to parents with drug addictions, or when they reach 3rd grade and cannot pass standardized tests, or when they become teenagers and are recruited by older criminally involved siblings or friends, or when they are placed (rather than promoted) from grade to grade without knowing how to read. The list could go on and on.
Increased crime rates among juveniles coupled with ongoing prison expansion projects has prompted CDF to lead solution-focused summits to explore practical strategies for dismantling the "Cradle to Prison" Pipeline. For the past three years, IEA – Inspire, Encourage, Achieve has been invited by CDF to convene at these summits – with highly distinguished/multidisciplinary groups of professionals, which stimulate discussion but more importantly calls for action to strengthen communities and improve policy, advocacy and service on local, state and national levels.
With the support of a committed board, dedicated volunteers/mentors, experienced and caring staff and generous sponsors, IEA realizes that one of the ways to begin dismantling America’s Cradle to Prison Pipeline is through collaboration and partnership with other agencies in the region. Of the nearly 800 Jefferson and Orange County youth who become involved with the juvenile justice system each year, IEA typically serves 400 young people detained in the MRJJC and over 175 youth through its outreach efforts. More than 100 parents with children who have not been formally processed through the juvenile justice system also benefit from extended outreach programming (as a preventive measure) through parenting classes and support groups.
Every community should have resources to provide these young people with an early escape from the harsh reality of incarceration. Unfortunately, communities across America are not meeting the challenge of connecting young people impacted by high-risk situations with the support needed to steadily reduce the incarceration rates of youth, particularly African-American and Latino males who have a greater chance of being incarcerated. While there is not any one solution identified for diverting the paths of the many youth who are either on track to become involved in the juvenile justice system or those who are currently involved, there is a high level of certainty that without intervention, they will eventually become our next generation of incarcerated adults.
