Communities are Safe for Children, Youth and Families (Montgomery) (Formerly Safety)

In safe environments, children thrive, learn dream and explore. However, if children live in unsafe environments and it is left unaddressed, it will create community issues that only serve to undermine the system’s ability to offer its children every opportunity for success.

375 per 100,000 children in Montgomery County were referred to DJS for a felony offense in FY2015. This rate has been decreasing over time.

Contributory factors include:

• A high juvenile offense rate indicates problems in a community, both now and in the future.Serious crimes exposes youth to a dangerous lifestyle, increasing the likelihood of later engagement in violent crimes.Youth who continue criminal behavior may not develop into emotionally stable and productive individuals—which could negatively impact the long-term safety, well-being and stability of the whole community.
• Five priority risk factors for adolescent problem behaviors include: family management problems and family conflict, early academic failure, early initiation of problem behaviors, early and persistent disruptive and delinquent behavior, and extreme economic deprivation

Youth Services Bureau (YSB)

Fair and Equal Justice (DMC) Committee