Smart Justice
Smart Justice covers the pursuit of better outcomes on justice system issues, including incarceration, foster care, and juvenile justice. The podcast is produced by Restore Hope.
Website: http://smartjustice.org
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Smart Justice
Don't Look Away: A Generation At Risk
When young people find themselves isolated and without essential support systems, they go down some dangerous paths. Many communities around the nation are seeing a rise in violent crime among youth—and it’s more serious than ever. We take you inside the crisis and highlight solutions. You’ll hear from prosecutors, judges, outreach workers, and teens who’ve lived it.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic — as schools closed, community programs were disrupted, and families found themselves under increased stress — many young people became vulnerable to negative influences and started engaging in risky behaviors. They started to feel more anxious and turned to guns for protection and substances for relief.
We’ll explore how communities are tackling this challenge, spotlighting innovative solutions designed not only to reduce juvenile crime but also to create pathways to brighter futures. We’ll hear from people directly involved in the juvenile justice system about what’s working, what’s not, and how we can bring hope back to families.
With the proper resources and guidance, the damage can be mitigated, but we must take action before things spiral out of control.
Featured in this episode:
- Arkansas Department of Human Services Secretary Kristi Putnam
- Billie Jean Mayben of the Youth Empowerment Project in Little Rock
- Arkansas Division of Youth Services Director Michael Crump
- Arkansas Division of Youth Services Assistant Director of Treatment Kimberly Key-Bell
- Arkansas Division of Youth Services Assistant Director of Prevention Adrian Sanders
Smart Justice is a production of Restore Hope. Executive Director is Paul Chapman. Associate Directors are Karen Phillips and Sarah Littleton.
Executive producer of the podcast is Karen Tricot Steward. Videography and production by Ti King.
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Crime and punishment are hot topics, but are there solutions? We're hearing about the best we can do. What if there's a smarter way to approach justice, one that delivers better return on investment?
Speaker 2:I look at it like about every nine beds occupied for a year. That's around a million dollars.
Speaker 1:Strengthens law enforcement and courts.
Speaker 3:I get fired up about that I'm excited about the potential that we have to really do something that's going to change generations to come.
Speaker 1:And connects families in crisis with the resources they need to end cycles of crime.
Speaker 4:Having that support in place. I wouldn't be here without it.
Speaker 1:This isn't just a theory. We're covering real, evidence-based solutions that are improving our communities. Welcome to Smart Justice. This is Season 4, juvenile Justice.
Speaker 5:I got passed from household to household. I had two different stays in juvies I went you know there are all kinds of psychiatric treatment Like I was definitely the person they said would never recover.
Speaker 1:Having grown up in a household rife with addiction and dysfunction, billie Jean Mabin's early life was marked by chaos and instability. Her father cooked meth and her mother battled alcoholism. She faced many of the harsh realities that come with such a turbulent environment, and this trauma set her on a path to substance abuse and a lengthy battle with addiction.
Speaker 5:Where I grew up it was more like I was treated like a problem. Nobody was really looking at the reasons I had the behavioral issues or the reasons I was using in the first place. And then I had parents who didn't want to take me to therapy because they didn't want other people to know their stuff. Growing up, I didn't know that anything was off. I thought every kid grew up like this. It really wasn't until I started getting in high school where I thought I'm really different from these other kids.
Speaker 1:She attempted suicide a few times. Despite brief periods of sobriety, the grip of addiction was so strong it took a hold of her life.
Speaker 5:I was probably 13 or 14. And it, you know, it kind of started with just like stealing whatever my parents had and then it got involved in like just being in the wrong group. It was my 17th birthday, the first time that I tried meth. Within three months I was shooting it. Periods where I would like get it together for a while, Like I would be clean for a few months a year at a time, but anytime something like traumatic came up in my life, like I would always go back to what I knew, life at home was chaotic.
Speaker 1:She was desperate.
Speaker 5:My first juvenile detention stay. I had chosen no longer to live with my parents. I chose to be homeless rather than live in the dysfunction. I had friends that would give me food. I lived under a bridge for a while that is actually eventually where I got caught by the police but I was breaking into abandoned houses, you know anything, that wasn't occupied to sleep in, and there was nobody asking those important questions of like what's really going on here?
Speaker 1:No resources seemed to be available to help youth with drug addictions and the underlying issues.
Speaker 5:There really wasn't anything. When my foster mom finally did take me to treatment, it was like a short, like 48-hour stay, make sure you're stable, type of thing, so I really didn't get the help that I needed.
Speaker 1:Billie Jean eventually entered a rehabilitation program where she spent almost a year rebuilding her life.
Speaker 5:Once I hit that year clean, I happened to just go to a meeting and I met somebody who was in training for peer support and I'm like, can you tell me what that is?
Speaker 1:Peer support for recovery is a powerful form of assistance where individuals who have personally experienced and overcome substance abuse disorder provide guidance, encouragement and practical help to others on their recovery journey. They offer not only understanding and hope, but also the deep trust and connection that comes from shared experience.
Speaker 5:I really knew that this was my calling.
Speaker 1:She was presented with the chance to work with youth. Although hesitant at first, she quickly realized that her own experience as a troubled young person made her a good fit for the role.
Speaker 5:The reason I recovered at all was those trusted adults, and so to see like a role where a recovering person can come out of and make a difference is like a big deal to me. It's, you know, really like crazy and surreal to be doing what I'm doing right now.
Speaker 1:She now works at the Wolf Street Foundation's Youth Empowerment Project in Little Rock, which is the first of its kind in Arkansas. The Youth Empowerment Project is a community-based youth recovery program that is providing peer support for students in grades 7 through 12. Billie Jean works one-on-one with young people, helping them set goals and navigate the complexities of substance abuse, mental health and instability.
Speaker 5:We have a peer who has 13 brothers and sisters pulled out of school for a situation and can't go back, has a father who's in the system and also needs mental health care and doesn't have transportation. So you know we're looking at all those different barriers and you know he's made a commitment to go get his GED. You just see the light coming on that I can get out of this situation and I can do it by taking these steps for myself.
Speaker 1:For her. Assisting young people through times of crisis has also been transformative, building her own self-esteem and contributing to her own healing process.
Speaker 5:Because I thought I wasn't good at anything. You know like it took a while for you know me to feel like I had any self-worth. There's not a lot of stuff for youth. There's not. We have a whole lot of stuff for adults. That's what I really think is cool about what Wolf Street is doing and, you know, putting this program out there Because this has never been done before. We're really blazing a path of what peer support looks like for you. If I could have ended up in a place like this and had the opportunity, I think it would have made a big difference. I've really become the person that I needed growing up. I'm really proud of that, you know.
Speaker 1:I'm Paul Chapman. When young people lose connection to essential support systems, they can find themselves on some dangerous paths. This has become especially apparent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As schools closed, community programs stalled and family stress increased, many young people became vulnerable to negative influences, with some turning to risky behaviors. Anxiety rose, leading some to turn to guns for protection and substances for relief. One concerning outcome has been a rise in juvenile delinquency and youth crime. In this season of Smart Justice, we're delving into the shifting landscape of youth crime over recent years, as Pulaski County Juvenile Prosecutor Casey Beard puts it.
Speaker 6:We have gone from what I would consider more youthful violent offenses, misdemeanors, petty kind of things within the schools and within our community to what feels like a community surrounded by guns and engaging in violence.
Speaker 1:We'll explore how communities across Arkansas are tackling this challenge, spotlighting innovative solutions designed not only to reduce juvenile crime, but also to create pathways to brighter futures. We'll hear from people directly involved in the juvenile justice system about what's working, what's not, and how we can bring back hope to Arkansas families. With the proper resources and guidance, the damage can be mitigated, but we must take action before things spiral out of control.
Speaker 3:Support for this podcast is provided by the nonprofit Restore Hope and the Hunter Families Initiative, moving families from crisis to career through innovative case management software, Communities can develop strategies to best support those in need in their area and track outcome data in real time to see what's working. Learn more at restorehopeio and by the Arkansas Department of Human Services, which aims to improve the quality of life for all of the state's residents by protecting the vulnerable, fostering independence and promoting better health.
Speaker 1:I'm Paul Chapman, executive Director of the nonprofit Restore Hope. Our work wouldn't be possible without strong partnerships, and one of those partnerships is with the Arkansas Department of Human Services. And one of those partnerships is with the Arkansas Department of Human Services. I sat down with Christy Putnam, the secretary of DHS, to talk about this upcoming season of the podcast. So, christy, last year we were finishing up the Smart Justice season on foster care and we had a conversation. I said we're trying to figure out what we would do next.
Speaker 4:There are so many subjects and you immediately said we need to cover juvenile justice and reentry. But we sort of lose those kids in the middle who maybe get into some trouble, maybe they just don't have enough supports at home. They have some interactions with law enforcement early on and we send them to the juvenile justice system. They may have been in foster care, they may have had some trouble in school, whatever that is, but we're sending them off and then we sort of forget about them. And they came to our attention at DHS. I mean, not that is, but we're sending them off and then we sort of forget about them.
Speaker 4:And they came to our attention at DHS. I mean not that we weren't already working on it, but it sort of came to a head. You know, we had some inquiries and some attention and some focus on we really had a high level of kids entering our system too many and so what were we going to do about it? And that's really where that idea came from is let's cover this, let's talk about this, because there's really not a lot of focus on juvenile justice and what the kids do inside.
Speaker 1:And so kind of the importance is one these are our kids. But also, without interventions, the likelihood that these kids will go on to continue to commit crime as adults and be incarcerated is very high.
Speaker 4:That's right and they are our kids and I think the unique situation with the juvenile justice population for me, first of all, that's what got me into this line of work to begin with. Very early on I worked in Florida for the Florida Sheriff's Association as a counselor with youth like this before they got into a delinquency situation. It seems so daunting sometimes when you look at the numbers in child welfare and you look at the numbers in you know, substance abuse and issues in the adult population. You just think, gosh, there's no way that I can make a difference. But we had 300 kids and I say kids, you know ranging in age from nine as young as nine in juvenile justice, all the way up through, you know, some of our almost 18-year-olds. 300 kids is a workable number If we could make a difference in just 10% of those kids and keep them from going forward in lives of, you know, criminal involvement or in violent situations.
Speaker 4:Many of them end up, you know, on the streets and many of them end up dying. Many of them end up on the streets and many of them end up dying. So if we could just impact a small number and start to make that change, with them and their families back in their communities. What could that look like? How could we change the trajectory for just a small number and then impact a larger group?
Speaker 1:It just seems to me that if we don't intervene, if we don't try to solve root cause problems, then we're going to continue to spend a lot of money and lose these community members. We'll have both a kind of a social and a fiscal problem here.
Speaker 4:We will incredible team of people at DHS who we've taken a one DHS approach, because we do have families who interact with so many of our divisions and so many of our offices that it's important that we all know what's going on and we all connect so that we can make sure that when we have a child who goes from child welfare into our juvenile justice system, how do we continue to support that family, how do we make sure that there's a community connection waiting for that child and that family when they leave us? You know we can't solve everything right at the same time, but if we start working on all the pieces of how we're interconnected at the agency and make sure that that carries through with our families and our communities, I think we're on the right track. And, like I said, the team at DHS is very focused on how do we cross-communicate and over-communicate really about how a child and a family is moving through DHS.
Speaker 1:That's something that we've really enjoyed working with you all on. There are so many helps in the community, but often trying to get everyone on the same page is so difficult the logistics in that and defining who are the right people at this time. Can we talk a little bit about vision for children and families? Because, as we've gone through and interviewed folks for this season, one of the great surprises and the good surprises and it gives me hope for Arkansas is that we really don't have differing opinions on what we all want and it seems that everyone has bought into giving effort is working on the problem.
Speaker 4:Absolutely. People do have the same desires. You know everyone wants to see a child move out of a bad situation. You know if they're in child welfare, if they're in a juvenile justice situation. And, focusing on juvenile justice, I think we need to make sure you know there are various opinions on government programs. Right, we talk about government and government doesn't always do a good job of taking care of people, but when we stop to step back and think about what do we need from government? We need there to be a safety net so that when people absolutely need that support, it's there the supporting partners, the cast of characters, if you will. It includes things like our food assistance programs, our SNAP program. It includes medical supports like Medicaid. So we're working very hard to make sure that there's not one thing in isolation. For example, juvenile justice, medical coverage happens inside the fence, but as soon as they leave, they lose all access to their providers, their medications, and it takes 30 days to start the process again. So just some, really I say simple it's not simple, but some common sense ways of how do we weave that together, because we are all on the same page, that we want to make sure people have the support to support that agency and that will to continue on in a successful path.
Speaker 4:I was a single mom at several points during raising young girls. I have three daughters. They're grown now I have grandchildren they're little and just the fact that I went through some extraordinarily hard circumstances and I could have been a recipient of benefits at DHS or I could have been someone served by Restore Hope because I was in that dire of a straight at several points in being a single mom I had a strong family around me and not everybody has that. How do we engage people to make them realize that people need chosen family If they don't have that strong family support network? Chosen family can step in and be that same thing and sometimes can be even stronger because you have people stepping in who don't have a blood tie to the individuals that they're supporting and that becomes even more powerful sometimes because people are stepping in because they want to.
Speaker 4:That just generates an incredible hope in people. I have chosen family as well, who have stepped in for me, who didn't have to, who continue to be there for me to this day and, you know, maybe a little over 10 years ago it's about, I guess, 14 years ago I was a single mom still struggling, and I now find myself waking up every morning going. I'm secretary of the largest agency in Arkansas. How can I not mess this up today? How can I continue to help, create hope? It could be any one of us on any given day, so have a little grace and give a little space and I sometimes feel ancient, according to my children.
Speaker 1:But I've reflected back on the good things that have happened in my life and I think, if I'm honest with myself, the assistance, the help that I've received from others whether they be family or friends, like you're saying is the reason for the good things in my life and, just like you, there were a handful of times that I thought, you know, if something had gone the other way, I very easily could have been in just dire straits, in crisis, lost everything. I'm trying to think of the families that I know that have been served. The majority of our families do not have a strong social safety net. They're missing that. There's no extended family there, and maybe they don't have a strong church family that could help them out of that, and so that's essentially what we're trying to help create for them is building that social safety net.
Speaker 4:Building and rebuilding that safety net and that community that's around people. That seems like it was there not too long ago. But, you know, we've sort of lost some of the connectivity, partly probably because of what we came through 2020, 2021, but even before that, you know, I think that we've lost a lot of sense of connection. But having that support in place, regardless of whether you have blood ties, I wouldn't be here without it, you know. And I say here I don't be here without it.
Speaker 1:And I say here I don't mean just here in Arkansas, but I think I would have lost hope a long time ago. So before we examine solutions to youth crime and delinquency, it's helpful to understand the juvenile justice landscape and how the system generally works. The terminology used in juvenile justice is different from that used in the adult system. It tries to emphasize rehabilitation over punishment, as well as the potential for change in young people, since they're still developing physically, emotionally and cognitively. It also aims to reduce the stigma associated with youth offenses.
Speaker 1:Juveniles aren't charged with crimes, but rather with delinquencies, so we call them delinquents and not criminals. They're not found guilty of a charge, but rather the delinquency is determined to be true or not. So then, how does a person end up in court? That happens when a prosecutor files a delinquency petition because they believe that that juvenile has broken the rules, which can range from skipping school to drug use, to violence against another person. The petition summons the juvenile to a hearing, where a judge then weighs the evidence. It's then up to the judge to decide whether that young person should be placed in a secure juvenile detention facility or if there's an appropriate alternative like counseling, community service, electronic monitoring or some other rehabilitative program.
Speaker 1:When a youth is placed in a detention facility. They then enter the custody of the Department of Youth Services, dys. Custody of the Department of Youth Services, dys. Dys then oversees the youth's placement, the services that they will receive and the duration of their stay. According to the Arkansas DYS Director, michael Crump, the division operates five secure detention facilities across Arkansas, serving juveniles aged 10 to 21.
Speaker 2:And then we also have a diversion residential program, the Civilian Student Training Program, the C-STEP. It's a diversion program that allows courts to give them a chance rather than commit them to our custody for secure setting. They go there for about an eight-and-a-half nine-week program that we run.
Speaker 1:DYS Assistant Director of Prevention, adrian Sanders, explains that decisions regarding appropriate interventions and treatment for a youth are guided by an assessment of their risk level to themselves and to others. Youth are categorized into risk levels low, moderate or high helping them tailor interventions and ensure the right support is provided.
Speaker 7:We want to make sure we're looking at everything that contributed to the behavior that led him to us. So it may go to identify him as maybe needing little or nothing, or may be going up so far to say he needs an assessment for possible residential treatment or something like that. But it is to prevent the kid from going deeper into the system by identifying services that we have in the community or services or resources that we can find.
Speaker 1:A treatment plan is then created to support the youth, aiming to help them avoid future trouble and to become a positive contributor to their community upon returning home. Dys Assistant Director Kimberly Keybell underscores the critical role that parents play as a part of the treatment team. She explains that involving families in the process helps address underlying dynamics that may have influenced the youth's behavior.
Speaker 8:If we have a kid that we send home whose home was in dysfunction prior to commitment, we have to do what we can to adjust the dysfunction of that home or that kid is in custody. In order to set the kid up to succeed, it's crucial.
Speaker 2:Your average kid is going to get about five kid is in custody. In order to set the kid up to succeed, it's crucial. Your average kid is going to get about five six months in custody and then another six months on aftercare, so the whole process is going to take about a year for most kids.
Speaker 1:After care refers to a range of services and supports aimed at helping youth reintegrate into their communities. This typically involves a juvenile probation officer who oversees their progress, access to counseling and mental health services, and mentorship programs to provide guidance. Crump notes that DYS is actively working to expand these mentorship programs is actively working to expand these mentorship programs.
Speaker 2:We want to be able to send those kids home knowing that there's someone else out there that's going to help them, make sure they stay on track and that they don't come back to DYS. I mean, I think it's really crucial in a kid's life. I know from the kids sometimes it might be their probation officer, but if they have someone typically outside the family, that kid can tell you know this person is there for me and wants to help me succeed.
Speaker 1:Finding mentors can be a serious challenge, says Crump. Many people become mentors because it's a fulfilling experience and they want to help, but don't always have the time to make a lasting commitment. The relationship must be sustainable for the child to really feel stable.
Speaker 8:Because, if not, you have another instance where that kid has been abandoned one more time, and so then we have more trauma.
Speaker 1:The expense of housing a juvenile in a detention facility can be substantial. According to Crump, it averages about $320 per day per child, totaling over $116,000 annually. Costs can rise even further with the need for extra medical care and medications.
Speaker 2:I look at it like about every nine beds occupied for a year. That's around a million dollars. So the economic impact of locking kid up I mean your intensive in-home services that's a much less expensive option. You know it's not cheap but it's a lot less expensive to provide that level of care first and try that than it is to lock them up.
Speaker 1:Two major factors are reshaping the juvenile justice landscape A surge in youth firearm possession and the increased threat of dangerous drugs, particularly the potent opioid fentanyl. Firearm possession amongst youth has become widespread, leading to frequent charges of minor in possession of a handgun. This charge carries serious, wide-ranging implications that can affect various aspects of a young person's future.
Speaker 8:That's a high offense for our juveniles right now. And when you come from a history of trauma and you're scared and you want to protect yourself, my kids tell me, ms Bell, I had to get them before they got me. I had to protect myself. So our kids are genuinely scared. These kids are not oftentimes just running around here wanting to shoot up the streets. They're carrying it going to protect themselves and sometimes don't want to or have no intention of using it. But if you get caught with it, you're still a minor in possession of a handcuff.
Speaker 1:This trend spans all regions and demographics, impacting urban, suburban and rural areas across the nation. Dys Director Crump points out that, while it's often assumed that kids access guns from their own homes, this isn't the case in the majority of instances.
Speaker 2:They're just getting them from cars, and a lot of times unlocked cars. They're just walking around and opening doors and if, and you know, people have a right to carry a weapon.
Speaker 1:Substance abuse is another significant factor closely linked to youth crime. Keybell highlights that approximately 60 to 65 percent of youth in custody have substance abuse issues. She explains that the connection between substance use and delinquency is evident, as many offenses arise from untreated challenges that require targeted interventions.
Speaker 8:Sometimes you've had kids that say Ms Kim, I don't do well in the school unless I'm high. Well then we know that he may have an issue with ADHD. He may have had an untreated issue that he's not going to address so he's self-medicating. When he comes into treatment, he's finally telling someone that's listening and we can now look at getting him on the right medications. Or he's like I don't do good in situations with people. I get anxious. My anxiety goes to 100 with Kim when I'm around other people, well, I smoke weed. They help me with that. We can help with that right. So, coming to treatment a lot of times for a lot of our kids, for a vast majority they leave with benefit and they leave better than when they came to us because they didn't know that.
Speaker 1:no, one was paying attention to that. Keybell notes that young people in custody are provided with group therapy and peer recovery support. However, arkansas lacks state-run residential inpatient drug treatment facilities for youth. For more intensive care, private facilities are currently the only option Without inpatient treatment alternatives. Many juveniles struggling with drug addiction are placed in DYS custody simply because no other resources are available. As alternatives to detention facilities, treatment and diversion programs are being implemented to steer youth away from the formal juvenile justice system. These initiatives have proven effective in fostering rehabilitation and decreasing recidivism.
Speaker 2:We really have to shift our focus to what we can do better in the community. We need lots more partners, and it's about relationships, and it's not just the relationships between the different entities that might be able to provide services to help these kids. It's how do you build a relationship with that kid's family? So if we're going to reach kids as early as we can, when we can identify these things and get them on the right path early, you've got to make sure that the family sees you as someone who's there to help A lot of our kids. They've suffered trauma. Their family situation is just not that stable. They don't have the structure they need and their families often need help too. So you know, we've got to be able to meet them in a place where they feel safe to be able to work with us and people see that you're trying to help and then you're not trying to hurt them.
Speaker 8:No, mom wants you to come to their home and tell them all the things they're doing wrong and not see the things that they are trying to do right.
Speaker 1:The relationship between parents in crisis and the various divisions of DHS is often marked by tension. Many parents worry that if they reach out for help and disclose too much, it could lead to their children being removed from the home. Officer Sanders underscores the valuable role juvenile officers can play when parents seek assistance because their child is not attending school. He notes that officers can make a real difference by connecting families with appropriate services and resources.
Speaker 7:Based on my experience. A kid getting a citation wasn't the first contact that most people had with juvenile court. It was a call that a parent made to say, hey, my son ain't going to school. What can y'all do? And a lot of times, because some offices aren't equipped to say this is what you can do, nothing happens.
Speaker 1:Keybell says supporting both the parents and the children is necessary.
Speaker 8:That two-generational approach is. I mean it's paramount, that two-generational approach is. I mean it's paramount.
Speaker 1:She emphasizes the importance of empowering parents by helping them build skills that boost their confidence and capability in parenting roles. This involves approaching parents with empathy and without judgment, acknowledging that every family faces its own unique challenges.
Speaker 8:Because you also have parents who have no idea how to be parents. This is not punitive or any indictment of them. They're just doing the best that they could with the tools that they had. I often say they are using a spoon or a spork to dig a trench right, so we need to help parents and outfit them with better tools. It should be a network of systems connected to where we are all assisting in preparing our youth to be better and then, if our youth are better, our communities are better.
Speaker 1:Coming up on Smart Justice. Many decisions about handling troubled youth hinge on assessing their risk of future violence. But how is that risk actually measured?
Speaker 4:And what we never want is them to make that call by what they look like or what they're wearing.
Speaker 1:People are locking up kids right and left for not going to school. That was a response that was expected from the schools. That was a response that was expected by the judges. We'll also visit Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to explore a new initiative underway to stop gun violence.
Speaker 3:I am very motivated to make sure we get it right.
Speaker 9:The Smart Justice Podcast is a production of the nonprofit Restore Hope. Visit smartjusticeorg to read the magazine. Nonprofit Restore Hope. Visit smartjusticeorg to read the magazine, as well as extensive coverage of community meetings on justice system-related issues. Our coverage is solutions-oriented, focusing on the innovative ways in which communities are solving issues and the lessons being learned as a result of successes and challenges. That's smartjusticeorg. There you can also sign up for the Smart Justice newsletter so you never miss the latest headlines, and please support us by leaving a rating and review. Thank you.
