Houston—An African-American boy born in 2001 has a one in three chance of going to prison in his lifetime; a Latino boy a one in six chance and a White boy a one in seventeen chance.
The Children’s Defense Fund of Texas, the University of Houston Center for Children, Law & Policy and Casey Family Programs will hold a summit on Friday, March 14 to address the alarming rate at which children and youth in Texas are put in jail. The Cradle to Prison Pipeline conference will be held at the University of Houston Law Center, Krost Hall from 8:00 am until 4:30 pm. The need to dismantle the pipeline is urgent:
- 85% of African-American children in Texas read below grade level by fourth grade, compared to 81% of Latino children and 56% of White children.
- It costs $7,136 per pupil for a year of public education, while the cost of incarcerating a child in the Texas Youth Commission is $56,000
- Over 70 percent of foster youth say want to attend college, but only 35 percent actually get the opportunity to attend college, and only 3 percent graduate.
Barbara Best, Texas executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund said, “The Cradle to Prison Pipeline Texas Summit is a loud alarm and wake up call for action. It is time for caring adults of all backgrounds to come together to place our children first in our lives and to invest in preventive programs for youth before they get into trouble, drop out of school or suffer family breakdown.”
The Summit will gather more than 600 community leaders, educators, elected officials, judges and law enforcement officials to develop solutions to dismantle the pipeline that is disrupting communities and eroding our future workforce.
“There are too many of our children in jail,” said William C. Bell, president and CEO of Casey Family Programs. “This road to prison must end. Our children need opportunity, hope and a new path. This Summit is vital for us to find that path for all of America’s children, especially some of our most vulnerable—children in foster care.”
The conference will include updates from local, state and national experts on solutions to dismantle the pipeline, including improving our juvenile justice system, enhancing early childhood education, providing health and mental health coverage for children and developing strategies to prevent violence and strengthen communities.
Children’s Defense Fund founder and president Marian Wright Edelman will provide the morning keynote address to kick-off the conference. Dr. William Pollack of Harvard University Medical School will provide the luncheon address on “Rescuing Our Sons: Finding Ways to Communicate with Young Males and Prevent Violence.” The conference will include a panel of youth and parents who have experienced the juvenile justice and foster care systems and will conclude with a panel on “Leaders Needed at the Table of Change,” bringing together elected officials, judges, law enforcement officials and probation officers to talk about their commitment to ending the Cradle to Prison Pipeline in Houston and across Texas.
Professor Ellen Marrus of the University of Houston Law Center said, “The University of Houston Center for Children, Law and Policy is delighted to co-sponsor this conference and to identify concrete action steps that we can take to end the epidemic of incarceration of children and youth and create a positive future for every Texas child.”
Directions to Krost Hall, University of Houston Law Center (from downtown Houston)
Take I -45 South
Exit Spur 5 South
Turn right onto University Dr. (at a stop light)
Turn Right onto Calhoun (at a stop light)
On Calhoun, drive to the furthest stop light which is right in the middle of some construction. It will be labeled "Entrance 19." Turn left at the Entrance 19 stoplight and then make an immediate right (so that you are driving on the wrong side of the street for just a second). The non-construction entrance to the Law Center will be immediately to your left.
Park and follow the signs to Krost Hall.
The mission of the Children’s Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. Children’s Defense Fund of Texas offices in Houston, Austin and the Rio Grande Valley work to ensure every child a Healthy Start in life and access to affordable health coverage.
The mission of the Center for Children Law & Policy is to engage in legal and interdisciplinary scholarship, advocacy and teaching to advance the interests of children through public policy.