Preventing At-Risk Youth from Joining Gangs

Photo by leochi via Flickr

The City Council is voting today on one-year gang prevention contracts for six organizations to work with at-risk youth. But what defines a child as at-risk and likely to join a gang? The Daily News lays it out:

• lack of parental supervision;
  
• early childhood aggression;
  
• delinquent beliefs, including acceptance of antisocial behaviors;
  
• negative life events;
  
• having peers involved in deviant behavior;
  
• a commitment to street-oriented peers.

If passed, six organizations will get one-year half million dollar contracts and another six are expected to be voted on later this Fall. One year is a short time for this important work, so let's hope that if this program actually works to help the identified children, these contracts get extended year after year.