Connect with us

Crime

Nashville Juvenile System Needs Community Support

THE TENNESSEE TRIBUNE — The recent spotlight placed upon five juveniles accused of murder in Nashville is a community issue that goes beyond the tragic happenings of the victim and the minors involved.  Regardless of how this sad situation is viewed, critics on both sides of the issue meet in the middle and admit that Nashville indeed has a rapidly escalating juvenile crime problem.  The hands of the parents are tied, the disciplinary resources of the educators are non-existent and the community safe haven that can field the crisis is ranked low on the list of budgetary priorities of the Metro Council.

Published

on

By Tribune Staff Writer

NASHVILLE, TN — The recent spotlight placed upon five juveniles accused of murder in Nashville is a community issue that goes beyond the tragic happenings of the victim and the minors involved.  Regardless of how this sad situation is viewed, critics on both sides of the issue meet in the middle and admit that Nashville indeed has a rapidly escalating juvenile crime problem.  The hands of the parents are tied, the disciplinary resources of the educators are non-existent and the community safe haven that can field the crisis is ranked low on the list of budgetary priorities of the Metro Council.

According to Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway, “The City of Nashville is not only in dire need of community partnerships from local churches to find places for youth from 2pm to 8pm daily, but the area needs an assessment center too.”  She further stated, “There are enough churches in the area that can build a rotating schedule of activities on a weekly basis that can accommodate the youth in order to effectively get them off the streets and into a productive environment that is safe.”  There is a true disparity amongst the juveniles of color who represent the highest numbers of troubled youth in Davidson County that find themselves at times in trouble with nowhere to go. The Tribune reporting staff writer then asked about the budgetary priority for the request for an assessment center to which Judge Calloway indicated, “This is a budgetary item on the council agenda classified as a B priority that will be looked at perhaps during the September to October 2019 time period.”

The detention center in Nashville is a facility that provides separate services from a highly needed assessment center that would allow the juveniles to be properly assessed and adequately placed in a facility that can service their needs.  The existing system in the city simply does not allow enough time to be spent with the troubled youth before they are returned to their parents.  The police currently bring youth to detention who have run away from their parents, but state and federal law only allow a runaway to be in custody for 24 hours before the parents will be charged with negligence if they do not come and retrieve their children.  The only juveniles that can be placed into detention under the current system are those youth that are waiting for trials and those identified to be at risk of violent behavior. A 24-hour assessment center would give parents in crisis a much-needed break while services are arranged to help the entire family.  

The shift of leadership in Nashville that is being role-played live in the public with Dr. Shawn Joseph has the potential to negatively affect the youth in the Metro School System. After not having a role model to look up to, the youth have developed a connection with the presence of the leadership figure in Dr. Joseph only to be torn away by political mire. Not only has Dr. Joseph been torn down as an empire of one, but a collective group of connected youth have been torn down as well. 

A staunch advocate of the youth, Judge Calloway shared information about several non-profit organizations that support the educators and the students of Nashville such as the Pencil Closet that stocks school supplies for school teachers and the Homework Hotline Board.  This is a telephone tutoring line available Monday to Thursday that provides homework assistance to Davidson County students on various subjects from 4pm to 7pm daily.  Non-profit organizations, according to Judge Calloway, provide support to the total student body and also assist with food, clothing and social and emotional learning in the form of counseling. 

This article originally appeared in The Tennessee Tribune

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 23 – 29, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 23 – 29, 2025

Published

on

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Continue Reading

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 16 – 22, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 16 – 22, 2025

Published

on

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Continue Reading

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 9 – 15, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 9 – 15, 2025

Published

on

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Continue Reading

Subscribe to receive news and updates from the Oakland Post

* indicates required

CHECK OUT THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE OAKLAND POST

ADVERTISEMENT

WORK FROM HOME

Home-based business with potential monthly income of $10K+ per month. A proven training system and website provided to maximize business effectiveness. Perfect job to earn side and primary income. Contact Lynne for more details: Lynne4npusa@gmail.com 800-334-0540

Facebook

Courtesy of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Facebook page.
Activism1 hour ago

Gov. Newsom Approves $170 Million to Fast Track Wildfire Resilience

Shutterstock
Activism2 hours ago

California Rideshare Drivers and Supporters Step Up Push to Unionize

Shutterstock
Activism2 hours ago

California Holds the Line on DEI as Trump Administration Threatens School Funding

Assemblymember Corey Jackson. File photo.
Activism3 hours ago

Asm. Corey Jackson Proposes Safe Parking for Homeless College Students Sleeping in Cars

California for All College Corps
Activism5 hours ago

Newsom Fights Back as AmeriCorps Shutdown Threatens Vital Services in Black Communities

iStock
Activism6 hours ago

Four Bills Focus on Financial Compensation for Descendants of Enslaved People

Love Rita Book Cover. Courtesy of Harper.
Arts and Culture6 hours ago

BOOK REVIEW: Love, Rita: An American Story of Sisterhood, Joy, Loss, and Legacy

Karen Lewis. Courtesy photo.
Activism6 hours ago

Faces Around the Bay: Author Karen Lewis Took the ‘Detour to Straight Street’

Barbara Lee. File photo.
Activism6 hours ago

Barbara Lee Accepts Victory With “Responsibility, Humility and Love”

(Left to right:) Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson. CBM file photo. Dr. Timnit Gebru is DAIR’s founder and executive director. Photo courtesy of Dr. Gebru. Judy Wawira Gichoya, MD, MS, is an associate professor in the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Gichoya serves as co-director in leading the Healthcare AI Innovation and Translational Informatics (HITI) Lab. Trained as both an informatician and an interventional radiologist, Dr. Gichoya’s work is centered around using data science to study health equity. Photo provided by the Emory University Winship Cancer Institute.
Activism13 hours ago

AI Is Reshaping Black Healthcare: Promise, Peril, and the Push for Improved Results in California

Dr. Adia Scrubb Photo provided by California Black Media..
Activism13 hours ago

ESSAY: Technology and Medicine, a Primary Care Point of View 

Carletta Jackson-Lane, 21st Western District governor of the National Association of the Business and Professional Women’s Club, Inc. sits with honoree Carol E. Tatum the 2025 Sojourner Truth Award recipient of the NAB&PW, Inc. Photo courtesy of Sheryl Smith.
Activism14 hours ago

S.F. Businesswomen Honor Trailblazers at 44th Annual Sojourner Truth Awards and Scholarship Luncheon

OEA President Kampala Taiz-Rancifer. Courtesy photo.
Activism14 hours ago

Teachers’ Union Thanks Supt. Johnson-Trammell for Service to Schools and Community

Kyla Johnson-Trammell. File photo.
Alameda County14 hours ago

OUSD Supt. Chief Kyla Johnson-Trammell to Step Down on July 1

Supporters of the Swim A Mile | Move A Mile campaign over the years. At left are swimmers from 2023 and from 2001 (?) at right. Courtesy photos.
Activism14 hours ago

In 30 Years, Supporters of Swim A Mile | Move A Mile for Women with Cancer Raised $8 Million

Trending

Copyright ©2021 Post News Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.