Mobile County District Attorney Partners with Schools to Prevent Crime, Help Families By Martha Simmons Research clearly indicates that truancy and serious misconduct at school forecast juvenile delinquency and, eventually, adult crime. Mobile County's high crime rate and social risk factors play key roles in school discipline problems. Studies indicate many public school students fear for their safety at school, and at-risk youth suffer serious problems at home. “Educators cannot be expected to correct such problems without significant assistance from families and the community as a whole," said Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson Jr. "That's why our office has joined forces with the Mobile County Public Schools to implement the Make the Right Choice, Helping Families Initiative (HFI). This initiative is proving to be a cost-effective way of both fighting crime and preventing it.”
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n Mobile County, Tyson’s office partners with the community’s education, law enforcement, health, mental health, social services and other organizations and agencies to identify children in trouble and to develop appropriate interventions for them and their families. The Helping Families Initiative is cutting red tape and knocking down barriers in an effort to maximize existing community resources. “Alabama law requires parents to make sure that their children attend school and that they behave themselves appropriately in class. I am mandated to vigorously enforce these laws,” said Tyson, a former vice president of the state Board of Education. “However, I also realize that misbehavior in school is sometimes a symptom of problems that need something other than a law enforcement solution. Catching these problems early enough — and giving families the targeted assistance they need — can help divert an at-risk child from trouble.” During the 2004-2005 school year, the Helping Families Initiative made 3,269 referrals for 198 different services pro8 Alabama School Boards • August/September 2005
vided by 150 different agencies and organizations. (See Chart 1 below for a breakdown of those referrals.)
These interventions clearly are making a difference: 67 percent of the families completing the program showed improvement in family functioning, especially in the category of child well-being. (See Chart 2 on page 9.) HFI measures these improvements through pre- and postadministration of the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale, which was chosen because it indicates strengths as well as weaknesses.
Key Steps HFI offers early intervention for an atrisk student whose own behavior triggers the process. It is a multi-disciplinary, team approach to intervening with at-risk students suspended for committing “C,”
Chart 1: Helping Families Initiative 2004-2005 School Year Referral Summary Mobile County District Attorney & other law enforcement . . . . . . . . . . .143 Mobile County Public School System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .549 Mobile County Department of Human Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124 Strickland Youth Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 Health services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240 Children’s services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278 Mental health services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .569 Faith community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201 Emergency assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 Recovery groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123 Drug and alcohol treatment services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215 Other social services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Parenting and mentoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321 Vocational support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 Summer youth programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Youth volunteer programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9