3. Reform Outdated Juvenile Justice System and Reduce Crime

As a child growing up in Pacoima, I saw firsthand the effects gangs have on our community. Having that background, I have always made gang prevention and juvenile justice a top priority. Through my work in the California State Assembly and Los Angeles City Council, I have a proven track record of enacting legislation to keep our kids safe. The children of our community are extremely important to me and by allowing them to fall under the influence of gangs; they begin down a path that does not lead to a successful future.

This problem in our community cannot be alleviated by sending out more police officers and arresting more juveniles; we need to stop this problem before it starts. Throughout my career, I have met with countless police officers, community leaders and justice officials to develop the nation’s first comprehensive "Community-Based Gang Intervention Model." This model laid out a new way for the city to combat gang violence without always resorting to arrests and has been implemented in cities throughout the country. I believe that gang prevention and intervention services are needed in all communities and will work to ensure that they are provided. As a Congressman, I will work with my colleagues to develop a comprehensive approach to deal with youth violence and gangs at the national level.

In 2000, as a California State Assemblyman, I co-authored and passed AB 1913, the Schiff-Cárdenas Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act, which has provided local communities with approximately $120 million per year, the single, largest appropriation of state funds for youth crime prevention in the history of the United States. This bill was designed to counter-balance rising incarceration costs and has provided over a billion dollars for youth development services and programming helping to drastically reduce juvenile crime throughout the state of California.

 I introduced legislation to institute Community Based Gang Intervention funding at the federal level. Learn more...

Confirming its effectiveness, a report from the Rand Corporation indicates that statewide efforts after the 2000 passage of the Schiff-Cárdenas Act have resulted in lower law enforcement costs and a measurable positive affect on young people who participate in it. My goal is to bring that same effectiveness, efficiency and positive outcomes for our children to the United States Congress.

Since 2000, I fought to reform Los Angeles’ gang prevention and intervention efforts. During three terms as a Los Angeles City Councilman:

• Along with Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte, I co-founded The New Alliance for Public Safety, the country’s first nationwide network of elected and appointed officials committed to juvenile justice policy reform and advocacy. Aimed at educating policy makers about the importance of restorative justice approaches, the network has presented at various conferences, met with President Obama’s Administration to discuss increased action on the issue and provided technical assistance to policymakers across the country interested in juvenile justice policy reform.
   
• I chaired an internationally-renowned advisory committee that developed the nation’s first comprehensive "Community Based Gang-Intervention Model" that was developed by intervention practitioners themselves. The model provides a blueprint for understanding and developing the infrastructure needed to support and expand intervention services. In July 2009, former Congresswoman Diane Watson incorporated the model into federal legislation designed to provide a nationwide approach to reducing youth violence. 
   
• I spearheaded the historic citywide campaign to amend Los Angeles’ daytime curfew ordinance that stopped police officers from issuing hefty tickets to students who were late to school because of such uncontrollable circumstances as their bus being late or having to take their younger sibling to school.
   
• I worked with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office and various community-based organizations in establishing the country’s first gang injunction removal process resulting in the first individual in the entire United States to be officially removed from a gang injunction.

It is very important to me to continue my work to reform the juvenile justice system during my time in Washington. In April 2013, I joined Congressman Adam Schiff in sending a letter to the U.S. Senate, calling on the Senate to recognize the critical importance of juvenile mental health in preventing violence, including gun crime.

I was also proud to join famed producer Russell Simmons and more than 100 entertainers, spiritual leaders, politicians and others, who sent a letter to President Obama, calling for an end to the failed "War on Drugs." This is a critical step toward changing our outlook on juvenile justice because, as the letter states, "Hundreds of thousands of children have lost a parent to long prison sentences for non-violent drug offenses, leaving these children to fend for themselves. Many of these children end up in the criminal justice system, which comes as no surprise as studies have shown the link between incarceration and broken families, juvenile delinquency, violence and poverty."

I am also a co-sponsor of the "Youth Promise Act" (H.R. 1318), introduced by Virginia Congressman Bobby Scott, a leader in juvenile justice legislation throughout his tenure in Congress.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges

• NCJFCJ – Publications on Juvenile Justice