It’s time for Fresnans to care for our at-risk children

The joyous holiday season is here with all the lights going up, decorated Christmas trees in homes, and parents getting ready to treat their children with presents. However, certain California counties — specifically Fresno County — are leaving behind the children we should especially care for and treat this holiday season: children exposed to risk factors associated with criminal behavior.

Fresno County is still stuck in the more traditional, adversarial focus on prosecuting youth, whereas the other populous California counties are now more progressive and have shifted their focus to prevention, diversion, and rehabilitation for their juvenile justice systems.

The fact that children are also involved in the criminal justice system is often a forgotten facet of justice policy that needs to be addressed everywhere. Having no comprehensive means to prevent children from entering and staying in the system leads to severe consequences for both the children and society. These consequences can range from health and psychological issues to larger implications for the future of crime and mass incarceration.

This criminal justice issue especially needs to be addressed in California, where the reported number of youth in juvenile detention centers was the highest out of all states in 2014.Unlike Fresno, California’s most populous counties — including San Francisco, Santa Clara, and Los Angeles counties — have attempted to comprehensively address the issue of youth crime prevention and justice diversion.

These three counties primarily focus their youth crime prevention strategies on coordination between different county-level departments and nonprofit organizations, all while addressing the particular needs of at-risk youth.

San Francisco County has a three-pronged approach for child crime prevention and system diversion: 1) the Community Assessment Resource Center, where children who commit low-level offenses are brought for diversion 2) coordination between district attorney, the Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (DCYF), Public Health, and community-based organizations to empower at-risk children and, 3) active efforts to reduce reliance on the juvenile detention center. Fresno has no such approach.

Santa Clara County has multiple community projects to specifically help at-risk youth and promote crime prevention. These programs also require cross-departmental and organizational coordination — one such program is the Fresh Lifelines for Youth (F.L.Y) program. F.L.Y. is a nonprofit that collaborates with county courts, probation officers, and other organizations to provide legal education, leadership training, and mentorships for at-risk children. In addition, this county has a program called the Education Rights Project: Youth Education Advocates (Project YEA) that coordinates with probation officers, social services, and educators to tailor education plans for at-risk youth. Fresno has no such projects.

Los Angeles County also has Enrichment and Prevention Programs for at-risk youth. What makes L.A. County unique is its coordination between the district attorney, community organizations, and law enforcement. For example, this county has an LAPD Youth Advocacy Program and a Juvenile Offender Intervention Network, and both programs require coordination between departments to prevent and divert youth from entering the justice system. Fresno has no such programs.

Clearly, the situation is different in Fresno County. There is almost no evidence of how county departments and community organizations coordinate efforts to prevent at-risk youth crime and to promote system diversion. The county’s probation office, DA Juvenile Delinquency Unit, and public defender’s office each emphasize youth prosecution, detention, and rehabilitation. Thus, these departments have some existing yet independent youth rehabilitation programs.

However, this is the extent of Fresno County’s efforts — there is no coordination between these departments, the Department of Child Support Services, and non-profit organizations. There is also no emphasis on children who are exposed to critical risk factors and how to prevent them from entering the system.

It’s time for Fresno County to follow the same path as the other counties. Fresno must shift its focus and adopt progressive strategies to prevent and divert children from entering the system. Fresno County must amplify its intercounty and community coordination efforts to support at-risk youth and to ultimately influence future implications on health, safety, and a more effective justice system for Fresno communities.

The holidays are all about joy, community, and making our children happy. If Fresno County wants to make an impact this holiday season, it must begin to make such changes to care for our at-risk children.

This story was originally published December 20, 2019 at 10:30 AM with the headline "It’s time for Fresnans to care for our at-risk children."