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On January 23rd, the Wichita Branch NAACP will start a first-of-it’s kind debate program at the Judge Riddel Boys Ranch (JRBR).

The JRBR serves male juvenile offenders with serious behavior problems from an urban setting, ages 13-17, that have been found guilty in juvenile court and ordered into state’s custody for placement outside their homes at a community-based residential program. Approximately 50% of the juveniles are in custody for misdemeanor offenses, after they have failed standard probation and intensive probation in the community. The other half are felony offenders, including those with convictions for person crimes such as aggravated robbery, aggravated assault and aggravated burglary. JRBR youth are typically very far behind in their education; many need outpatient substance abuse treatment, mental health care and counseling to address criminal behavior, anger management, empathy, grief and family issues.

Through our structured debate program, we will model and teach effective communication, critical thinking, rules of decorum, and conflict resolution skills, that will serve them long after they returned to their families and community. Through this program, we plan to drive down recidivism rates by working directly with juvenile offenders and at-risk youth and equipping them with the skills they need to express themselves in a positive manner, to advocate on their own behalf, to bring about change through reason, and to traverse difficult and trying situations without resorting to anger or anti-social behaviors.

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In July of 2009, delegates to the NAACP National Convention approved a resolution to condemn the practice of sentencing Juveniles to Life without Parole sentences. The Resolution also called upon branches to work within their respective states to bring an end to this practice. While Kansas is one the the 7 states in the county that prohibits the sentencing of Juveniles to Life sentences without the possibility of parole, the Wichita Branch and the Kansas State Conference of the NAACP would like to add our voice to the those calling for an end to this practice. Currently, the United States and Somalia are the only two nations in the world that have not ratified Article 37 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which bans participants from sentencing children to life in prison.

Click here to sign a petition to support Sara Kruzan

Click here to read the Human Rights Watch report on Juvenile Life Sentences

Click here for the Public Interest Law Center’s report on Florida’s disproportionality in Juvenile Life sentencing

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