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| *** For Immediate Release *** |
| For more information please contact: Tony Ferullo at 617-573-8448 or
Mariellen Norris at 617-573-8450
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| Suffolk University’s Juvenile Justice Center Training Brings Together Boston Youth & MBTA Police |
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BOSTON – Suffolk University Law School’s Juvenile Justice Center has launched a training initiative aiming at promoting more peaceable, positive interactions between MBTA Police officers and youth in Boston communities. The program is made possible through supportive grants from the Mabel Louise Riley Foundation ($72,000) and the Boston Foundation ($45,000).
In keeping with its mission to advocate for youth charged in delinquency matters, the Juvenile Justice Center has made “New Approaches to Officer-Youth Interaction” one of its top priorities.
More than 40 MBTA Police officers have taken the two-day, intensive training sessions thus far, with additional sessions planned for new recruits and department veterans.
The training initiative’s goal is to benefit MBTA Police officers and the 50,000 youth who are transported by the MBTA system to and from school every day by offering the officers information about adolescent development, help in deciphering youth behavior and increasing officers’ use of discretion and diversion options when working with youth.
“We hope that by offering officers an opportunity to learn about adolescent development, they will be able to ‘read’ youths’ behavior, project authority in a way youth recognize, and interact with youth in a more productive, positive manner, thereby enhancing mutual respect,” said Lisa Thurau-Gray, special projects director of the Juvenile Justice Center at Suffolk University Law School. “Overall, we hope that the program will lead to fewer arrests as well as fewer confrontations and produce more opportunities for collaboration with and among community organizations.”
The training sessions also involve groups of Boston area youth, providing all parties involved with a “reality check” on what it means to be a young person in Boston today. Youth groups that have participated in the training sessions include LaAlianza Hispana, Tieng Xahn Voice, Alternative for Community and Environment (ACE) and Community Action Agency of Somerville. Community leaders involved in the training represent The Ella Baker House, Youth Build Boston and Geiger-Gibson Health Center at Harbor Point.
Much of the success of this training initiative can be attributed to the efforts of MBTA Police Chief Joseph Carter. “Chief Carter has shown incredible vision and leadership each step of the way,” said Thurau-Gray.
The purpose of the collaborative effort is to reduce fear, proactively mitigate youthful disorder and ensure the safety of students and patrons using public transportation during peak morning and afternoon school travel times. “It’s the most dynamic partnership I’ve seen in my 30 years in law enforcement,” said Thomas McCarthy, Deputy Chief of Investigative Services of the MBTA Police Department.
The Juvenile Justice Center hopes to replicate its training model with urban communities throughout the nation. ###
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