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Youth Promise Act - Youth Support Campaign
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YPA Background

Youth PROMISE Act (YPA) Description

The Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act (Youth PROMISE Act), H.R. 3846, is an important legislation. This prevention and intervention crime bill:

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Gets at the root causes of youth and gang violence before kids get into trouble.

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It does not create expensive additional and duplicative punitive approaches, that do very little to prevent youth from engaging in delinquent activity

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The Youth PROMISE Act builds upon evidence-based and promising practices proven to reduce youth violence and delinquency.

For a full description go to: http://www.house.gov/scott/hotissues_youthpromiseact.shtml

Why it is Important to Support the YPA

December 2008 analysis of the prevention and intervention approaches in the Youth PROMISE Act versus the suppression heavy approaches of the Gang Abatement Act by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency concluded the following:

"Research and NCCD’s experiences strongly favor the practices promoted in the Youth PROMISE Act. The Gang Abatement Act relies on strategies that have been used repeatedly in the past decades, only to yield the results of overcrowded prisons and a punitive culture in which our youth are being sent to correctional facilities not equipped to address their developmental needs. Such strategies are ineffective and costly, and reverse the progress the nation has already made in terms of juvenile justice and overrepresentation of people of color within the justice system. The Youth PROMISE Act appropriately rejects these failed policies, and embraces what years of research and practice have proven—that with the right programs, our youth can not only stay out of trouble but also have promising futures." (To read whole analysis and other supporting materials go to the research link on left side of the webpage)

Youth PROMISE Act - Youth Support Campaign

On Tuesday December 30th, youth and gang prevention/intervention practitioners gathered to discuss the importance of supporting the Youth PROMISE Act in congress and the companion Casey Bill the US Senate. These two legislations have components that have been shown to be effective, financially responsible, and long lasting in healing community gang violence. Discussed also was the detrimental effects that the Feinstein - Gang Abatement Act will have in supporting methodology that has shown to be ineffective and that have actually exacerbated gang violence in the U.S. and abroad. The youth developed three methods to provide education and mobilize support for the Youth PROMISE Act and Casey Bill which include the following:

1. Educational Campaign though:

A. Developing a multipurpose Webpage

B. Media Campaign

C. Legislative Packet Development and Capitol Hill Youth Visits

2. Mobilization Campaign

A. Initiate a "National Call-In Action for Youth Promise Act and Casey Bill" (January 5th - January 9th - read instructions below or click on the "call" link on the left side of the webpage)

B. Initiate a "National Letter/E-mail Campaign" for support of the Youth PROMISE Act and the Casey bill (COMING SOON - click on the "write" link on the left side of the webpage)

C. Facebook (active), Myspace (pending), Youtube (pending) Campaign for getting youth, adults, and communities involved in advocacy (Click on the "broadcast" link on the left side of the webpage)

URGENT NOTICE:

National Call-In Action for Youth Promise Act and Casey Bill starts on Monday January 5th and ends Friday January 9th.

Save our YOUTH, support the PROMISE, vote for the ACT!

Start Time: Monday, January 5, 2009 at 8:00am

End Time: Friday, January 9, 2009 at 5:00pm

Location: From your home or cell phones, throughout the nation!

SENATE CALL-IN CAMPAIGN

From Monday January 5th to January 9th, thousands of youth, children, parents, college students and anyone interested in bringing peace to the violence affecting youth will be calling all senators to ask them:
1. to NOT sign the Feinstein gang bill (S. 456) (focuses on prosecution, incarceration, and deportation which are strategies proven to be INEFFECTIVE)
2. to wait for Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) Gang Prevention and Intervention Bill (companion bill is the Congress Youth PROMISE ACT (focuses on prevention and intervention which are proven EFFECTIVE strategies).

LATER WE WILL CALL CONGRESS TO SUPPORT THE YOUTH PROMISE ACT (JANUARY 12-16th)

SAMPLE PHONE MESSAGE FOR SENATE (THIS IS TOTALLY CHANGEABLE): "In the 110th Congress you signed or were asked to sign on to the Feinstein gang bill (S. 456), and you may be asked to do so again. The Feinstein bill emphasizes ineffective, costly, and short-lived approaches such as increased punishment, the building of more prisons, deportation and other such suppression techniques. But we wanted to let you know that in order to help our nation better respond to gangs, Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) will be introducing a new gang bill that promotes evidenced-based approaches proven to reduce and prevent youth involvement in criminal gang activity, approaches that respect the wisdom and effectiveness of local governments and communities, and that are fully supported by and supportive of law enforcement professionals. A recent analysis from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency had proven that the Youth PROMISE Act is more effective than Suppression heavy legislation. "Please do not sign on to the Feinstein bill until you have had a chance to consider the Casey bill. "Thank you."

CLICK ON "CALL" Link on left side of webpage for Senate Phone Numbers. REMEMBER TO GET THE WHOLE FAMILY TO CALL AND TRY TO CALL ALL SENATORS. IF THEY DO NOT PICK UP LEAVE A MESSAGE

List of Congress Representatives' phone numbers COMING SOON!

 

Send mail to juan.pacheco@usa.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2007 Barrios Unidos - Virginia Chapter
Last modified: 01/02/09