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Office of Plymouth County
District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz |
Mobile Site Index Community Initiatives for the City of Brockton
Art Mentoring Program
Stonehill College, offers a "Mentoring Through Art" program at the Fuller Museum of Art on Oak Street in Brockton. "Mentoring Through Art" is a ten-week program in which students from Stonehill College and elementary school children from Brockton's inner city work together to learn the basic elements of photography under the supervision of a Stonehill College Professor and members of the District Attorney's Office. This program provides a positive social and learning environment while teaching youths all the basics of photography. A contingency based mentoring relationship is developed and fostered over the period of the semester. Each elementary student is also introduced to institutions within the community which provide "institutional mentoring". This shows children that agencies and community institutions such as Stonehill College, Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, Old Colony YMCA, Fuller Museum of Art, the Brockton Police, the Boys and Girls Club and City Hall are full of caring and concerned adults. Through the efforts of the above agencies, students are given a yearly membership to the Fuller Museum of Art as well as a voucher to attend courses at the Fuller Museum over the course of the following year. Students/youths are transported from their school to Stonehill College immediately following the school day. They are transported back to their homes between the hours of 5:15 and 6pm. The Program has been highlighted at the National Youth Advocate Annual Conference entitled Juvenile Justice: Restoring, Reclaiming, Rebuilding in Overland Park, Kansas in February 2000. It was presented as an "exemplary program of multi-agency community collaboration...empowering at-risk youths to better understand themselves as they create personally meaningful work that investigates issues of family and community." Fugitive Task Force
The VFAT's efforts center on fugitives who are wanted in connection with the commission of violent felonies. Included among the offenses for which the fugitives are wanted have been the following: murder, attempted murder, armed assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, unarmed robbery, home invasion, kidnapping, firearms offenses (both state and federal), assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, aggravated rape, indecent assault and battery on a child, drug distribution (both state and federal), witness intimidation, domestic violence, larceny, receiving a stolen motor vehicle, threats, unlawful possession of explosives with intent to injure and fugitive flight from justice. Fugitives apprehended include adult as well as juvenile offenders. Members of the VFAT also assist police in other jurisdictions, including federal agencies, such as the United States Marshal's Service. The Violent Fugitive Apprehension Team has proven to be a tremendous asset in the effort to track and apprehend violent fugitives in Plymouth County. Gang Prevention Through Targeted Outreach
Gang Prevention Through Targeted Outreach (GPTTO) is
an Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention program which offers a
comprehensive approach using effective techniques
and strategies that direct at-risk young people to
positive alternatives offered by Boys & Girls Clubs.
Youth are recruited through an outreach effort and a referral network consisting of the Brockton Police Department´s G.R.E.A.T.TM officers, Police Activities League, Department of Youth Services (DYS), Juvenile Probation, the District Attorney´s Juvenile Diversion Program, and the Department of Social Service. Recruited youth are mainstreamed into Club activities by the case manager. Club programming serves as a mechanism for diverting these youth from gang activities. An initial intake interview is done as a means of assessing individual needs and interests while at the same time creating a foundation to establish the bond of trust needed to form a positive mentoring relationship. The case manager assigns the youth to a volunteer opportunity (which can be used to fulfill community service hours) that meets their individual needs or interests. GPTTO youth are also encouraged to participate in Club activities and attend a variety of workshops and activities geared specifically towards their needs. |
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Plymouth County District Attorney's Office |
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