Durham June 2013 Pipeline Report and Restorative Options

In April and May I looked at the data about arrests in Durham and looked at the racial and age breakdown of these arrests.  I found that people of color are disproportionately arrested. I also found that we are charging people under the age of 18 with crimes and treating 16 and 17 year olds as adults. This means these will have an arrest record for their whole life.

In June 2013 there were 2970 charges: 66% of these charges were issued to people of color. There were 113 charges issued against people under the age of 18, and 65% were to people of color. There were 224 charges of possession of controlled substance, and 78% of these were to people of color.
I do not have data for suspensions and arrests for people under the age of 16.

I worry not only for the people incarcerated, but also their families. Our policies of mass incarceration are devastating families and leaving children without parents.

(Picture from: http://www.senseandsustainability.net/2012/01/20/collateral-damage-children-and-prison-reform-in-california/)

Once a child is suspended from school, once someone is arrested (rather than given a citation or warning), the risk that they will end up incarcerated, with a record, and as an outcaste in our society is significantly increased. I believe we need to work on ways to keep kids in school, keep people from being arrested for non-violent offenses, and divert as many cases as we can way from the prison pipeline.

I have also been learning about some ways to divert people from the prison pipeline. North Carolina Central University is about to launch the N.C. Restorative Justice Project. The Director, Rhonda Raney, is hoping to train and supervise student volunteers to conduct restorative justice conference with victims, offenders, and their families in cases arising in our schools and in Court. I hope to assist her work by collaborating with the NCCU School of Law. We are planning on interviewing and assessing potential volunteers in the fall, holding a community gathering of people interested in restorative justice practices and diverting people from the pipeline. We hope to start accepting referrals in the Spring 2014.

I am hopeful that administrators in the Durham Public Schools, Members of the City Council, the County Commission, The Durham District Attorneys Office, the Juvenile Court Counselors, the Durham City Police Chief and officers, the Durham County Sheriff and deputies, will see the wisdom of restorative justice diversions, community mediation, and other ways to reduce the cost of court, and address the underlying causes of criminal behavior.

Please start talking to your teachers, administrators, police, prosecutors, city council members, county commissioners about restorative justice and diversion programs away from jail. These programs cost less money, and strengthen our community.