e
or juvenile deli
e
By Sis I Bjaanlaes
Capital News Service
LANSING-- The Committee
on Juvenile Delinquency asks
for $45 million to keep young
potential criminals out of
prisons.
Currently, bout one-third of
. chigan's adult criminals were
one Juvenile criminals. Also, 90
percent of them have been vic­
tims of child abuse or neglect,
aid Rep. Teola P. Hunter (D­
Detroit), chait of the AdHoc
Committee.
The ervices will include both
ne and old programs designed
to reach the child at an early
stage, aid Rep. Tom Power (R­
Tr verse City), vice-chair of the
juvenile committee.
The committee used five
months of hearing throughout
the state to work out a report
with recommendations to
reduce juvenile delinquency to
the Legislature.
The total funding request
represents the same as the cost
of building one new state prison,
. Hunter said. It is believed this
· funding will reduce crimes com­
mitted by juveniles and reduce
. teh need for new prisons, the
Detroit Democrat said.
One common theme that was
heard during the hearings was
the need for early intervention
to s rengthen the family, Hunter
said.
e want to do this through a
single agency designed to ad­
minister children and family ser­
vices, she added.
The agency, called Type One
Agency, will oversee and
centralize children and family
services.
.. ow, the preventive
programs are fragmented and
underfunded," Hunter said.
These proposed $45 million will
save, us millions in the future, she
added. "It's a small request, but
it's a start," she said .
In addition to the creation of
a Type One Agency, and an in­
crease in funding for those
programs targeted toward
families, the committee report
seeks the establishemnt of a per­
manent oversight committee on
early intervention and preven­
tion services.
There are statistics to prove
that the' programs already im­
plemented are effective, Power
said.
We want to expand these
programs and create new ones
to help and protect the future of
our children," he said.
t a reception at the home
3
uency progra
"We spend money up fromt to
save millions in the future," said
Rep. David M. Gubow CD-Hun­
tington Woods), another com­
mittee member.
The 18 committee members
said were optimistic the legis­
lators would support their "con-
servative fund request.
The AdHoc Comittee is com­
posed of members from the
House comittees on appropria­
tions, social services and youth,
judiciary, mental health, public
health, and education.
Blacks earn less regardless
The average montly income
of African Americans lagged
significantly behind that of
whites at most levels of educa­
tional attainment, according to a
report by t e Commerce
Department' Census Bureau.
The report says the monthly
income of African American
high school graduates averaged
bill promotes community-based corrections
GRAND RAPIDS - State violent offenders off to prisons.
Representative Carolyn Cheeks - Under the legislation - "The
Kilpatrick CD-Detroit) spoke Community Corrections Act"
last wee at the Michigan Cor- (HB 4164) - a State Advisory
rections Association Con- Board would be established to
ference in Grand Rapids,saying assist the Department of Cor-
"-�-""'--. that legislation she has intro- rections indevelopment of
duced to promote e use of program guidelines, goals and
comm nity-based corrections evaluation criteria for com-
an alternative to incarcera- munity-based sanctions.
tion ill provide the tools Communities would par-
nece ary for the rehab' itation ticipate in the program through
of low-ris offenders". a locally-appointed board made
"We've got to ee non- up of community leaders who
violent offender out of prisons would operate the program in
- where they learn how to be- conjunction with the local Cir-
come better criminals - and put cuit or Recorders Court.
them to wor in our com- The board would be
munities 0 they can learn to be- uthorized to develop a range of
come better citizens," said Rep. punishment options short of
Kilpatric. Community-based prison which would access local
corrections is more humane, employment and job-training
more ensible and more cost ef- programs, educational
fective than shipping non- programs and treatment ser-
ilpatric
vices. It could also provide
residential services for the of­
fender who needs a structured
living environment.
Among alternative punsih­
ments available under the com­
munity-based corrections sys­
tem, according to Rep. Kil­
patrick, are community restitu­
tion which requires the offender
to repay the crime victim for
property or personal damages
and community service which
requires the offender to com­
pensate the community by doing
volunteer wor in public
programs.
Other legislators addressing
the conference were Rep. Phil­
lip Hoffman (R-Horton) and
Senators John Kelly (D­
Detroit), ick Smith (R-Ad­
dison) and Jack Welborn (R­
Kalamazoo ).
$765 in 1984 compared with
$1,080 for white graduate , a
ratio of about 7 to 10.
The ratio of Black monthly
income to non-Blac monthly
income was also around 7 to 10
for persons who were not high
school graduates, for persons
with some college education, for
those with vocational training,
and for those having a
bachelor'S degree.
Income includes wages and
salary as well as other money in­
come, such as pensions, paid
benefits, interest and dividends.
For persons with a ociate
degrees, the rati was somewhat
larger than 7 to 10) while at the
master's degree level there wa
no stati tically significant dif­
ference between the monthly in­
comes of Blacks and whites.
According to the report,
comparisons at the doctorate
and professional degree levels
cannot be made because of in­
sufficcient sample size.
Here are additional high­
lights from the report:
-Blacks with a bachelor's de­
gree had average monthly in­
come of 1,388 in 1984, nearly
doubled the income of Blacks
with only a high school diploma
and one and one-half times
greater than for tho e who had
some college training.