Juveniles who are at risk of committing a crime could get extra help through expanded information-sharing and targeted counseling in hopes of curbing teen violence.
“We have to do a much better job of stopping the anonymity [of juveniles] that drug dealers are using to exploit and shoot our children,” Gov. Martin O’Malley said during a news conference at the Prince George’s County Courthouse unveiling the proposed legislation.
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The Child Safety Net Legislation, introduced to the General Assembly on Thursday, would allow the Department of Juvenile Services to share information with the Department of Human Resources, which handles welfare cases, as most of the at-risk juveniles receive support from DHR.
The aim is to identify teens who are likely to commit crime or become a victim of crime and end the chain of violence, officials said.
The legislation will also allow Maryland to share and receive information on at-risk teens with other states and the District of Columbia.
Officials dispelled the notion that information-sharing would be an invasion of privacy.
“In fact, parents will be very much relieved that governments are coordinating and helping their children,” O’Malley said.
O’Malley also announced a $1.3 million expansion of Operation Safe Kids, a program started in Baltimore City that puts at-risk teens in peer counseling and in a monitoring program.
Only one of the 200 teens in the program between 2006 and 2008 died as a result of violence, said Department of Juvenile Services Secretary Donald DeVore.
The program will be added to Prince George’s, which saw a slight increase in juvenile violence last year. Many of the offenders are from the District of Columbia.
“There are too many people with guns in their hands and gangs in their plans,” said Prince George’s State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey.
