Incidents of violent juvenile crime in Cumberland County increased 30% between 2021 and 2022, according to data from the N.C. Department of Public Safety. Community stakeholders in Cumberland County are seeking solutions — and explanations.
At the county board’s meeting Monday, commissioners approved an allocation of $168,160 toward programs targeting youth crime, as recommended by Cumberland County’s Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. (The council has not yet discussed a controversial curfew that was tabled at a recent Fayetteville City Council meeting.)
The JCPC is funded by the Department of Public Safety to provide and fund early intervention and diversion programs for at-risk and justice-involved youth. Board members of the JCPC say a key factor to the program’s success is increasing knowledge of the resources available for at-risk youth through JCPC-funded programs.
“Our biggest thing right now is trying to get more public awareness, about the council as well as the programs that we are funding,” said Nichelle Gaines, the council’s coordinator.
Those programs include Fayetteville Urban Ministries Find-A-Friend program, a mentorship program which serves more than 200 at-risk and court-involved youths each year. The Find-a-Friend program received $50,000 in funds.
The JCPC is also involved heavily with Cumberland County CommuniCare, a behavioral health agency with programs for at-risk youths aged 6-17, and uses the organization’s building to host its monthly meetings. Among its programs are a Juvenile Assessment Center, which offers early intervention and prevention as well as case management for at-risk youth.
Communicare received $73,500 in funding from the JCPC.
Another program receiving funding is S.W.A.T, which stands for Serving With Accountability and Teamwork. S.W.A.T provides in-home family counseling and mentorship to justice-involved teens and their families.
“(It) makes them want to change because they see a different way of life, a different environment, different options,” said Gayla Young, program manager at S.W.A.T.
The JCPC approved $15,600 in additional funding for its program, which mentors about 20 juveniles and their families per year.
Cumberland County Dispute Resolution also received $18,998 in funding for its Teen Court diversion program, which addresses the needs of first-time offenders and their families.
Another nonprofit receiving funds was the Pickens Peace Project, an organization that assists at-risk teens and youth through the donation of duffel bags of supplies, as well as other programs geared towards strengthening family bonds.
Dr. Antonio Bernard Jones, vice chairman of the JCPC, believes the programs can bring positive impact in diverting youth from the justice system so long as they know about the options available within the community.
“Many individuals do not honestly know that we are here,” he said.
Jones also said the crime prevention work the organization does is only successful if it’s a community effort, with multiple different approaches and organizations involved.
One approach he strongly advocates for is the involvement of an individual’s caretakers while they are in treatment, so the juvenile can have continued support once the interventions are completed.
“There has to be a process in place or strategy that helps build and support the families or caregivers,” Jones said.
The JCPC will have its next meeting at 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 109 Bradford Ave. The meetings are open to the public.
Contact Char Morrison at cmorrison@cityviewnc.com.
