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You make good points, Doug. The only thing is it seems a lot of the time prison's are like sending young people to crime graduate schools. If they are lacking in criminal skills in any way going in, when they come out they are experts. Unless they are in prison for life, they are going to be coming out with more skills and will likely have networked with even more hardened criminals while behind bars.

There obviously are no easy answers.

Hey Doug, I got a simple solution. Have every liberal family take home a gang member, one for every 1000 sq. ft. of living space (Joh Edwards could take 29) and sit down with them (no pre-conditions of course) and explain to them the error of their choices. Explain to them how much you care about them, and in a short time we'll have many few gang members, or better yet, many fewer liberals!

It would also help if the Mayor could provide verifiable results, even case studies, to show that these various rehab/prevention programs are effective. It never seems the taxpayer hears about the results or very rarely. If taxpayers knew what they were getting for their money....

Tony, you're such a kidder.

Savage, yes, we seem to be very weak on the outcomes of all these programs that begin with promises and good intentions.

The Charlotte Observer had a story the other day about the Charlotte-Meck school system's Bright Beginnings program for disadvantaged preschoolers. It's been in operation for 10 years, and its initial class should be ninth-graders now. How are those kids faring? It's "not on our radar screen" to check, a school official said. In other words, no follow-up, no study to find out if this program, which costs more than $20 million a year, actually makes a difference.

Well, that's the liberal, big-government way, isn't it? Just throw money at the problem, regardless of the results (or lack thereof).

But if someone opposed funding for "Bright Beginnings" or any other similar program, I bet they would be accused of "hurting the kids" or being anti-education.

As far as crime goes, prevention and rehabilitiation efforts are well and good. But ultimately, the role of law enforcement should be to protect the innocent from the law-breakers. If the two are at cross purposes, then protecting the innocent must win out every time.

I really enjoy reading the City officials comments and then going to meetings with my councilmember as I did the other night and getting the list of what the Council members feel are priority items. Here is the list and we were told they were in order of seriousness. Check out where the "safety" items rank.
Business friendly
Jobs/Economic Development
Communication
Police
City of Greensboro employee morale
Social Capital
Equity
Transparency
Gang Awareness
Transportation
Homelessness
Water Supply
Increase Public Trust

Thanks, Brenda.

The proposed new budget puts police at the top of the list.

There can never be enough prevention and intervetion programs for youth! I would result to the explanation that this generation is being so televised and targeted by media to behave in a 'hood' mentality, but I understand that the core is a little deeper than that. The mayor is on the right track that something has to be done through the criminal justice system other than locking kids up expecting that to be the solution to teaching value lesson that will effect change in their behavior. Punishment seems to ignite the fury in the youth, causing a deeper problem than society can bargain for. Dealing with youth beyond their actions is a sensitive situation. Before, during, and after punishment, some form of prevention, intervention, or rehabilitation needs to occur. I am of the mind that we can believe in hope for a better person inside, if we are so determined to find the good in youth. There's a saying that goes, "you are what you eat." In essence, children are what we instill inside of them. SHIELD Mentor Program offers youth the opportunity to be matched with mentors to pull out the positive values they have locked inside. Visit our website, www.shieldyouth.com or give us a call at (336)337-2771 for more information.

There can never be enough prevention and intervetion programs for youth! I would result to the explanation that this generation is being so televised and targeted by media to behave in a 'hood' mentality, but I understand that the core is a little deeper than that. The mayor is on the right track that something has to be done through the criminal justice system other than locking kids up expecting that to be the solution to teaching value lesson that will effect change in their behavior. Punishment seems to ignite the fury in the youth, causing a deeper problem than society can bargain for. Dealing with youth beyond their actions is a sensitive situation. Before, during, and after punishment, some form of prevention, intervention, or rehabilitation needs to occur. I am of the mind that we can believe in hope for a better person inside, if we are so determined to find the good in youth. There's a saying that goes, "you are what you eat." In essence, children are what we instill inside of them. SHIELD Mentor Program offers youth the opportunity to be matched with mentors to pull out the positive values they have locked inside. Visit our website, www.shieldyouth.com or give us a call at (336)337-2771 for more information.

I must admit, I go to bed everynight worried about city employee morale.

Doug, why do you think I was kidding? How could there be a more worthy goal than ridding our society of gangs, and liberals!

Tony, you would hate a world without liberals like a cat would hate a world without mice.

Doug:

The legislative staff estimates that the gang legislation will cost NC at least $25 million in extra prison costs in its first year (they didn't even attempt to calculate enforcement or court costs). The actual figure will likely be much larger and will likely grow.

The legislation is nothing more than a way to add extra penalties to behavior that is already criminal. It's also a way to make sentences even more racially and ethnically disparate than they are now.

The legislation also overlooks the roles that prisons play in creating and strengthening gangs.

Dave,

I don't believe we should set racial and ethnic quotas for sending criminals to prison.

Crime has a high cost to its victims, sometimes higher than the cost of punishing criminals.

It's true that prisons are full of criminals, but to borrow Tony's comment above (and, remember, he was only kidding), liberals aren't volunteering to take them in.

Dave's right: this is a right-wing version of the left-wing's beloved "hate crimes" legislation. We should punish the crime (harshly, in my opinion), not the gang affiliation or "hatred" associated with it.

As for prevention, I strongly support the Gang Prevention Greenway, an excellent program that allows rambunctious youth to spend their time walking rather than committing acts of mayhem. There are two reasons for supporting the GP greenway: (1) it is as or more effective than other prevention programs, and (2) it will produce a greenway.

Doug, did you see that lady who kept her teen son in a cage for seven yrs. got twenty yrs. Darn, there goes that idea. I wonder if I could plea bargain if I just did it for 2-3 yrs.

The thing to consider about that is someday our kids will have the upper hand.

Good point