MEMPHIS, TN - More than half of the violent crimes in Memphis are committed by someone under the age of 24. Now, Memphis is one of six cities participating in the National Forum on Youth Violence.
In the last five years, crime in Memphis has dropped by more than 25 percent. But youth crimes are on the rise, so Memphis is trying to set an example for the nation and stop the problem.
Representatives of federal, state, county and city governments were all in one room on Monday, August 29, 2011, and all for one reason: to address youth violence. Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell stressed the importance of the crime prevention plan.
"Our children are our legacy and if we fail in this area than we have failed to be the community that we should be," said Luttrell.
"Memphis is doing something special and that's why I think the Department of Justice is here to see what it is we're doing and how we can help our city and other cities across the nation," said superintendent of Memphis City Schools Dr. Kriner Cash.
Three years ago the crime rate at MCS was 149 incidents per 1,000 students. After addressing health issues, parental involvement, and adding mentoring it's dropped to 23 per 1,000.
It's a model that will be used throughout the county. The goal is to reduce crime committed by young people by 25 percent within five years. Everyone from the police on the street to the Attorney General's office, are working on it.
"What we've realized as a community is that we can't arrest our way out of this situation and we can't prosecute our way out," said District Attorney General Amy Weirich.
Deandre Brown, an ex-felon, has seen the programs work first hand. As the executive director of Lifeline to Success, Brown helps former felons turn their lives around through classes, mentoring and community service.
"People can change if you give them the right tools. Many of our ex-felons don't have the right tools in the beginning to be successful, so we have to equip them so they can be successful," Brown told abc24.com
He says starting from the ground up is the way to do it.
The first phase of the program will focus on Northwest Memphis, it has the city's highest rates of youth violence, gangs and teen pregnancy.
In addition to Memphis; Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Salinas and San Jose are also participating in the Youth Violence Prevention Program.
