Early intervention at home key to youth violence

By the time 15-year-old Will was referred to us, he had a long rap sheet with the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County. It began when he was 11 with misdemeanor assault -- some kind of fight.

After that, in a four-year stretch, Will (not his real name) was charged with runaway, burglary, aggravated burglary, aggravated assault, theft of property $500 to $1,000, theft of property less than $500, and violation of parole.

He spent six months in a youth detention center half way across the state. 

We have assigned a family intervention specialist to work with his mom intensively to help Will reunite with his family, get back into school, deal with peer influences and safely interact with members of the community.

That specialist has a hard job, but it’s not impossible. Intensive in-home family therapy services have a much higher success rate than other interventions like individual therapy, anger management, or parenting classes or detention. 

Because youth are so influenced by the behavior of their peers, detention actually can make things worse. In detention, young people come in contact with peers who have more serious behaviors and can introduce them to gangs, if they aren’t a member of one already.

Helping Will and his mom would have been so much easier if he had come to us when he was 11 years old, after that first fight. What can we do to help the hundreds of young people like him in our community?

Act sooner

Often teachers and school counselors spot problems first. A child seems withdrawn in class, begins to fight with classmates and starts missing school. These signs should be taken seriously. Most often they indicate that there is a problem at home. Maybe the parent has a mental health issue of their own. We all should learn to act when we see the first signs of a problem. 

Focus on families

We know the most effective approach is to start intensive services in the home and community before negative behaviors are entrenched and a child is removed from family.

If a child or youth does need a time of stabilization in out-of-home placement, he or she should go to the least restrictive setting for the shortest amount of time. Work should begin immediately with the family so change can occur in the home environment immediately. The longer children are out of the home, the less likely they are to be successful.

Get off the sidelines

We know that if a child has one caring adult in his or her life, the chances of adult success goes up dramatically. Our children need more mentors -- people they can count on for the long term, no matter what happens. And families in our community desperately need support. 

Do what works

In child welfare, juvenile justice and children’s mental health, there’s often a big gap between what research has proven and what services actually are available and provided to families. So many times, we do what we’ve always done. It shouldn’t be a surprise when we get the same dismal results.

This month, we’re strengthening the array of services available to the court further through a partnership with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. We are offering Multisystemic Therapy (MST) to juvenile offenders.

After more than 30 years of research and 18 clinical studies, MST has been shown to reduce re-arrest rates by up to 70 percent, while decreasing mental health symptoms and adolescent drug and alcohol use.

In Memphis and Shelby County, we know what works. We should find the political will, the investment and the commitment to do what’s right for our children and families. 

Tim Goldsmith, Ph.D., is chief clinical officer at Youth Villages, where he directs a staff of clinical specialists who oversee the treatment of more than 25,000 children and youth every year.