OPINION: Improving family life and education are keys to addressing juvenile crime

We’ll hear the phrase “juvenile crime” over the next two months ad nauseam. That’s because state politicians like to talk, and voters drive the words that must come out of their mouths. It’s predictable they’ll never spout constructive answers nor push for proven processes.

Current crime data are sparse and comparisons between counties sparser. However, national groups such as the Department of Justice and Bureau of Justice Standards have almost annual reports as recent as 2023 that tie poverty, and everything poverty entails, to an increased crime rate.

If we’re to address juvenile crime, the root of the conversation and the answers lie in education and improving family life. A large majority of New Mexicans state proudly that they love living here; it’s a great place to grow up and raise a family. The fact is New Mexico is one of the worst places to live and raise a family.

In Rio Arriba County, 66% of children in the public school system are being raised by a grandparent or guardian. The parents are dead, in jail or not able to raise their children as per the courts. The broken family life experienced by most children, coupled with our failed education system, is a direct feeder to the rise in juvenile crime we are now experiencing.

The Anna, Age Eight Institute has tied childhood traumas directly to mental health issues, continued poverty and crime. The information given in the individual county surveys draw a clear picture of our issues. The problems children are going through become larger and more prevalent as they grow up. I guess I’m trying to say children today will have the exact same problems adults face today.

In an Anna, Age Eight podcast on May 20, “100% Safe and Healthy Families,” New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez states most of the criminals he has prosecuted and imprisoned came from a background lacking familial and community support. How we go about addressing those issues unfortunately lies with our elected “leaders” in Santa Fe. As they brag about funding projects/infrastructure and supportive programs in education, little is being accomplished and nothing is changing in this crucial area.

I found it alarming that the governor stated last week that we are spending more on Native American pre-K programs than any other state. Yet, an Anna, Age Eight survey in Rio Arriba County showed 36% of respondents said they could not access early childhood education, and 46% of respondents said the wait list was too long.

We spent $784,815,000 on early childhood education this fiscal year. The Early Childhood Education & Care Department would like that to increase to $995 million next fiscal year. To what end?

District attorneys and cops like to say, “We can’t arrest our way out of this problem.” They are partially correct. No matter how many 15-year-old murderers we lock up, there are more, and more violent, offenders coming down the pike. To stem that flow and address the issue, we must get to them earlier and provide needed services.

In the meantime, these offenders must be taken off the street. Clearly, there is no stable home support, and schools have failed to drag them into a functioning society.

The folks at Anna, Age Eight boldly state: “Over the last four years, we have learned a lot. We know the challenges and how to fix them. All that’s lacking is the buy-in to ensure the health, safety, and education of 100% of New Mexico’s children and students are the number one priority of New Mexico.”

The current legislative session has been heralded as a war on crime. We have one side of the aisle waving banners for stronger laws and punishments, coupled with longer jail time. The other side wants more mental health programs and hugs, understanding and support for the homeless and criminals.

It’s wrong that we make children a priority after they pull a trigger or steal their fourth car. At that point it’s spending more money on the backside when we could be spending less money and time before the problem turns from a lack of social support to one of desperation and violence.

So where’s the buy-in from our politicians, with our money?