Statewide Chair D.A. Murphy Present HIghest Award to Brooklyn D.A.
Feb 4th 2010
District Attorneys Association past President and Saratoga DA, James A. Murphy, III as New York State Chair of the national organization Fight Crime: Invest in Kids awarded King’s County District Attorney Charles “Joe” Hynes the 2010 Champion for Children award, the organization’s highest recognition for service. Hynes received the award as he has been and continues to be passionate about prevention initiatives that keep kids, teens and young out of the criminal justice system from the start.
Hynes has fervently supported “Fight Crime: Invest in Kids” mission by publically calling upon New York State legislators and members of the U.S. Congress to support funding for programs that decrease the risk of child abuse and neglect, and support afterschool and pre-K programs, which provide tutoring, and mentoring. Hynes has called for more collaboration to prevent recidivism and encourage kids to make healthy, safe and appropriate choices. Murphy was joined by Meredith Wiley, State Director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids New York in the award presentation
Murphy and Wiley presented Hynes with the award at the District Attorney’s Association annual Winter Conference in Manhattan on Friday, January 29, 2010 during the DA’s annual luncheon attended by most of the 62 district attorneys in the state, members of law enforcement, prosecutors, judges and criminal justice specialists, along with NYPD Commission Ray Kelly who gave the keynote address.
Murphy said “Joe has fought for keeping kids safe and providing services and programs for them since his first day on the job as DA. He has been committed to providing alternatives to incarceration programs which have positive long term consequences. He has established innovative reentry and rehabilitation programs so young people don’t become just a statistic for reoffending. One extraordinary example of what Joe has accomplished for our state’s youth is his Youth and Congregations in Partnership, one of the most successful prevention programs in the United States”*
*Youth and Congregations in Partnership (YCP) is a program established in 1997 by District Attorney Charles J. Hynes. It is a community-based intervention program promoting rehabilitation and the reduction of recidivism among Brooklyn’s court involved and at risk youth. This goal is accomplished through the combination of intensive mentorship and comprehensive services. As its name suggests, the Youth and Congregations in Partnership program establishes a connection between offending youth who will benefit from a second chance and the “helping hands” of volunteer mentors from faith communities throughout Brooklyn, “The Borough of Churches.”
DA Hynes said “Too often a youth gets into trouble just because he or she has no one to show them how to succeed. YCP gives them the helping hand they need to get back on the right [path],” and went on to say “[I believe we need to] harnesses the power of the faith community to reach out in a caring spirit to guide and assist those in need.”
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids is an organization of more than 5,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, attorneys general, other law enforcement leaders, and violence survivors; and are committed to putting dangerous criminals behind bars. But by the time law enforcement get involved, the damage is already done and lives are changed forever. America’s anti-crime arsenal contains no weapons more powerful than the effective programs that help kids get the right start in life. A number of high-quality programs are proven to prevent crime, reduce child abuse and neglect, and help troubled kids get back on track. Yet, despite decades of growing research proving what works, inadequate investments leave millions of children needlessly at risk of be becoming delinquent teens and violent adults while putting every American at greater risk of becoming a victim of crime.
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