BSFT™ SPONSORS CRADLE-TO-PRISON PIPLELINE® FORUM, 10/02/2009

Over 200 people assembled at the University of Miami’s Medical Campus on October 2 to examine the current state of juvenile justice in Miami-Dade County (Florida). Organized by the Circuit 11 Juvenile Justice Board in collaboration with The Children’s Trust and the Brief Strategic Family Therapy® Institute (BSFT™), the purpose of the event was to develop a juvenile justice strategic plan and legislative agenda for dismantling the “Cradle-To-Prison Pipeline®” in the community. A wide array of stakeholders attended including youth, parents, relative care-givers, policy makers, faith-based leaders, educator, law enforcement, activists and community leaders.

Ruban Roberts, M.S.W., a Senior Trainer with the BSFT™ Institute, co-chaired the Forum and moderated several panels featuring lively and passionate discussion about juvenile justice services, early intervention, disproportionate minority contact, zero tolerance, faith and community based solutions, parental involvement and more.

The Forum featured a video presentation by Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) and developer of the "Cradle to Prison Pipeline®" Campaign to reduce detention and incarceration by increasing preventive supports and services children need, such as access to quality early childhood development and education services and accessible, comprehensive health and mental health coverage. The CDF states that “Nationally, 1 in 3 Black and 1 in 6 Latino boys born in 2001 are at risk of imprisonment during their lifetime.”. Mrs. Edelman encouraged her listeners to “act to stop the growing criminalization of children at younger and younger ages, and tackle the unjust treatment of minority youths and adults in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems with urgency and persistence.”

The Forum’s featured speaker was Ms. Adora Obi Nweze, President of the Florida State Conference NAACP. As a keynote speaker and as part of each individual speaker panel, Ms. Nweze fervently advocated to the rapt audience that “the criminalization of children must be stopped!”

Rallying the 200 plus attendees to strongly contribute to the break-out sessions during the afternoon, the audience heard a rousing speech by Deputy Secretary Rod Love, of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. He charged all attendees to “continue to advocate” and to be “trailblazers.. not caretakers.”