I arrived in Miami on Saturday morning. My flight was delayed by 4 hours but luckily because i was there at the crack of dawn and checked in early, i was able to get an earlier flight which was brill!!! Slept all the way here! Flight was only 2 and a half hours so not bad. When i arrived at the hotel i was informed check in wasn't for another 6 hours so had a few hour to kill!! Decided to go for a wonder around and explore the area of South Beach where i was staying. It was beautiful and right near the sea.
As I was walking around i was stopped by a guy who was asking me if wanted to vote. I explained to him that i wasn't from the area and we got talking. It turns out that he is a reformed Original Gangster and member of the Bloods in Compton and he was telling me all about it and what it is like to grow up in that life style. He said that he was born into the gang as his dad was a Black Panther who was in San Quentin Prison and started a gang there then came out and continued it on the outside. He said he has been involved in all kinds of gang activity and has been shot and stabbed many times! He also has gang tattoos. He was a very interesting guy to talk to as he has now turned his life around and is now making a like for himself and has got out of the cycle of the gang lifestyle although he says he will never truly be out of the gang as alot of his friends are still involved. He said he is still a member but not an 'active' one.
On Monday I visited the Juvenile Assessment Centre in Miami- Dade were every young person who is arrested in the County comes to be booked in and assessed and then they are either released from the facility or taken to a Juvenile Detention Centre depending on what crime they have committed. What an interesting visit that was!!! I couldn't believe how organised and prepared for me they were. I was greeted when i arrived by the Acting Director and shown around the facility from intake were the juveniles are bought into the facility and booked in, finger prints taken, mug shots taken and all the assessments are carried out. These include asking questions relating to their mental health, housing issues, family life and substance abuse then depending on the outcome of these assessments they are referred to the appropriate agencies.
I was then spoken to by various people within the organisation to get a perspective on what they were doing there. These include taking about the models that they use to support these young people through the system and the assessment tools that they use. Very impressed at the way they operate and the level of communication throughout the organisation. They also appear to have very strong links to many community projects that they refer the young people on to and set up monthly meetings with these organisations to speak about how they are getting on and how well the young people are getting on on those programmes. They also ask the young people themselves how the programmes are working for them and if they feel they are benefiting from it.
They way this organisation operates appears to be very successful as they are very supportive to first time offenders. They involve every one in that young persons life from parents to school teachers to support them and enroll them in programmes based on the needs of that young person. The aim of this is to try and support them as much as possible at the earliest stage to try and break the cycle of re offending and so far this has been a great success. They also link in with agencies that support the families of these young people especially siblings so that they do not follow in they brother or sisters footsteps.
I found this day to be a very interesting and informative and I very much enjoyed meeting everyone involved and have been invited back next week to attend a conference on Gangs and how they are managed in Miami which will be very interested and something that i am very much looking forward too.
About Me
- Donna Marsh on Gangs
- My name is Donna Marsh and I currently work as a Registered Mental Health Nurse in a Prison working mainly with young offenders with mental health problems. I have worked with young people for the past 7 years and find this client group very interesting. With the rise of knife and gun crime in England, I have many dealings with gang members and find it fascinating to find out why young people join gangs and engage in this kind of gang activity. Due to this, I have also been involved in the making of a DVD to raise awareness of knife crime in the UK in conjunction with the prison and a local school, this has been distributed to schools and Young Offenders Institutes across the country.
My journey
Wednesday 28 July 2010
Friday 23 July 2010
Leaving New York....
I can’t believe my time in New York has come to an end so soon. I have very much enjoyed my time here and think I have had a good balance of work and play. I have spent a lot of time building a relationship with my family in Brooklyn while I have been staying here which has been great! I feel that we are now really close. We visited many places over the last couple of weeks such as Atlantic City, where I was introduced to gambling, Long Island where we spent the day on the beach, Nyack with the biggest shopping centre I have ever seen and the most beautiful lake. Oh and of course, how could I forget Manhattan! Shopping in Time Square and sipping cocktails in Greenwich Village. Amazing all round!!!!
I also very much enjoyed my week in Syracuse meeting with Police, Probation officers, Correctional officers and Gang Specialist to talk to them about how the gang problems are managed by the teams that they work in. I meet some very interesting people and hope to keep in contact with many of them. Unfortunaltey I did not get the opportunity to visit Sing Sing Correctional Facility this week but during my visit to Council For Unity I was offered the opportunity to return later in the year and visit Sing Sing with them. This is an offer I am very much considering as it would be such an amazing opportunity to see how they operate there and how they run the course with the gang members.
This week I also went to the school that my Aunt works at and she introduced me to a few of her pupils who were playing in the park next door and I interviewed them about what it is like to grow up in Brooklyn where they are surrounded by gangs. This was a very interesting meeting and it was good to get the perceptive of the teen ages that are actually living in it as well as the professionals that work with these young people. I also spoke to a local Police officer about the issues that the Police face with gangs in the area and he told me that recently they had had 15 shooting in the space of 11 days! I couldn’t believe it!! The policing in this area has now been stepped up and just walking around the streets you can see Police all over.
I feel over the last couple of weeks, I have learnt a lot and gathered much information relating to the severity of the problem of gangs in New York and how Law Enforcement as well as other grass roots organisations are dealing with these issues and how successful they are. All involved appear to be singing from the same hymn sheet and agree that the problem is growing. The reason that these young people are joining these gangs is due to them feeling the need to ‘belong’ as they do not get that from their family so they seek alternatives and that more needs to be done in the community to bring people together to try and help and support these young people to change their way of thinking and give them options so they don’t feel that the gang life is the only way to go.
I am off to Miami tomorrow and very much looking forward to seeing how the gang problems are managed there.
I also very much enjoyed my week in Syracuse meeting with Police, Probation officers, Correctional officers and Gang Specialist to talk to them about how the gang problems are managed by the teams that they work in. I meet some very interesting people and hope to keep in contact with many of them. Unfortunaltey I did not get the opportunity to visit Sing Sing Correctional Facility this week but during my visit to Council For Unity I was offered the opportunity to return later in the year and visit Sing Sing with them. This is an offer I am very much considering as it would be such an amazing opportunity to see how they operate there and how they run the course with the gang members.
This week I also went to the school that my Aunt works at and she introduced me to a few of her pupils who were playing in the park next door and I interviewed them about what it is like to grow up in Brooklyn where they are surrounded by gangs. This was a very interesting meeting and it was good to get the perceptive of the teen ages that are actually living in it as well as the professionals that work with these young people. I also spoke to a local Police officer about the issues that the Police face with gangs in the area and he told me that recently they had had 15 shooting in the space of 11 days! I couldn’t believe it!! The policing in this area has now been stepped up and just walking around the streets you can see Police all over.
I feel over the last couple of weeks, I have learnt a lot and gathered much information relating to the severity of the problem of gangs in New York and how Law Enforcement as well as other grass roots organisations are dealing with these issues and how successful they are. All involved appear to be singing from the same hymn sheet and agree that the problem is growing. The reason that these young people are joining these gangs is due to them feeling the need to ‘belong’ as they do not get that from their family so they seek alternatives and that more needs to be done in the community to bring people together to try and help and support these young people to change their way of thinking and give them options so they don’t feel that the gang life is the only way to go.
I am off to Miami tomorrow and very much looking forward to seeing how the gang problems are managed there.
Tuesday 20 July 2010
Back to Brooklyn
On Friday I completed the Basic Gang Specialist Course and became an official member of the New York Gang Investigators Association and am very pleased to be part of such a worthwhile and supportive organisation. I am now qualified to give evidence in court about gangs in New York which is great, hopeful that will be a skill I can use in the future as the qualification lasts for 5 years.
Over the weekend, we had a Block party which was cool, all the neighbours were my Aunt lives closed off the road and all the children came out to play, they had loads of food, music and games for the little ones which was cool. Really nice to see the community come together to do something positive. On Sunday went to Nyak for the day which is in Upstate New York and what a beautiful place it is! It is only 45 min from Manhattan and sooooo different. There is a beautiful lake with a view of the city, a play park for the children and lots of little quaint shops. Such a lovely little town, reminds me of home. Oh and they have a massive shopping centre about 5 minutes away which is amazing!!!!!
Yesterday i went to visit an organisation in Manhattan that i had been in contact with over the last few months called Council for Unity (www.councilforunity.org) . They are a none profit organisation that work with the community, schools, families and correctional facilities to bring people together to 'reduce violence and discrimination in schools, integrate communities, promote community policing and community safety and convert correctional institutions into community assets that prevent crime'. It was a very interesting meeting, the man i met was called Sean and he himself was a former gang member who had served time in a correctional facility and had been supported by Council For Unity. He now works to help others to show them that there is a way out and hope for those who are involved in gangs or have served time in prison and do not feel that they have a chance to make a new start upon release. He gave me loads of useful information and asked me if i would come back to visit him later in the year, when the schools go back after the summer so that i can go out with him to visit the local schools and correctional facilities that he works in which would be another amazing opportunity!
The more i see of this place the more i fall in love it it!!
Over the weekend, we had a Block party which was cool, all the neighbours were my Aunt lives closed off the road and all the children came out to play, they had loads of food, music and games for the little ones which was cool. Really nice to see the community come together to do something positive. On Sunday went to Nyak for the day which is in Upstate New York and what a beautiful place it is! It is only 45 min from Manhattan and sooooo different. There is a beautiful lake with a view of the city, a play park for the children and lots of little quaint shops. Such a lovely little town, reminds me of home. Oh and they have a massive shopping centre about 5 minutes away which is amazing!!!!!
Yesterday i went to visit an organisation in Manhattan that i had been in contact with over the last few months called Council for Unity (www.councilforunity.org) . They are a none profit organisation that work with the community, schools, families and correctional facilities to bring people together to 'reduce violence and discrimination in schools, integrate communities, promote community policing and community safety and convert correctional institutions into community assets that prevent crime'. It was a very interesting meeting, the man i met was called Sean and he himself was a former gang member who had served time in a correctional facility and had been supported by Council For Unity. He now works to help others to show them that there is a way out and hope for those who are involved in gangs or have served time in prison and do not feel that they have a chance to make a new start upon release. He gave me loads of useful information and asked me if i would come back to visit him later in the year, when the schools go back after the summer so that i can go out with him to visit the local schools and correctional facilities that he works in which would be another amazing opportunity!
The more i see of this place the more i fall in love it it!!
Thursday 15 July 2010
The Conference
Back in September, when i was still researching for this trip to find out what resources would be available to me should i be successful with my application to the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, i stumbled across the New York Gang Investigators Association (NYGIA www.nygia.org ). They were running a conference in Syracuse for people all over the state of New York to come together, share information and discuss current trends of gang members in the State. I decided to email the President of the Association, Mr Garcia to find out some more information and see if it would be possible to attend if i was successful in my Fellowship as i thought it would be a great place to start to get a good overview of what is happening with gangs in New York. We keep in email contact throughout the next few months until i actually attended the conference.
I was so nervous on my first day, i had nothing to worry about though because everyone was so friendly and welcoming. I think my English accent helped with that!! There were people attending from all different areas of Youth Justice such as Police, Probation, Department of Corrections, Prison staff and Schools Police Officers. It did take me a couple of days to get used to the Police that attended the conference carrying guns as they walked around! Throughout the 4 days though i managed to speak to nearly all of the around 100 people that attended.
The content of the conference included providing information about the Bloods and the Crips, information on how to manage gangs in prison, a brief overview of gangs in general and how to identify a gang member, all of which was all valuable information for me. On the last day of the conference we received certificates of attendance and there was an opportunity to complete a one day Basic Gang Specialist Certification Course which i will be attending tomorrow.
Throughout the conference I got talking to a few individuals from various disciplines of Law Enforcement and they offered to show me around their area of work. I am now hoping to visit Sing Sing Maximum Security Correctional Facility next week and as hoping to go out with one of the Investigators around Brooklyn to show me where the gangs hang around.
I have been totally overwhelmed by how welcoming everyone has been here and how willing they are to help me in my research. I have collected many business cards from people here and am hoping to keep in contact with them. I think that this has been an excellent start to my Fellowship and would like to thank NYGIA for having me.
I was so nervous on my first day, i had nothing to worry about though because everyone was so friendly and welcoming. I think my English accent helped with that!! There were people attending from all different areas of Youth Justice such as Police, Probation, Department of Corrections, Prison staff and Schools Police Officers. It did take me a couple of days to get used to the Police that attended the conference carrying guns as they walked around! Throughout the 4 days though i managed to speak to nearly all of the around 100 people that attended.
The content of the conference included providing information about the Bloods and the Crips, information on how to manage gangs in prison, a brief overview of gangs in general and how to identify a gang member, all of which was all valuable information for me. On the last day of the conference we received certificates of attendance and there was an opportunity to complete a one day Basic Gang Specialist Certification Course which i will be attending tomorrow.
Throughout the conference I got talking to a few individuals from various disciplines of Law Enforcement and they offered to show me around their area of work. I am now hoping to visit Sing Sing Maximum Security Correctional Facility next week and as hoping to go out with one of the Investigators around Brooklyn to show me where the gangs hang around.
I have been totally overwhelmed by how welcoming everyone has been here and how willing they are to help me in my research. I have collected many business cards from people here and am hoping to keep in contact with them. I think that this has been an excellent start to my Fellowship and would like to thank NYGIA for having me.
My first few days in New York
I have really enjoyed my first few days in New York. My cousin and Aunt took me to Atlantic City for the day on Saturday which was sooooo much fun. Atlantic City is in New Jersey and they have a big shopping centre there, casinos and a beach. The journey up there took about 4 hours and it rained most of the way so didnt manage to get onto the beach which was a shame. I slept most of the way there and back as still hadnt got over my jet lag.
The next day was really hot so went down to Long Island to the beach with my cousin her children and a friend and their family which was really nice. Spent most of the day in the water trying to stay cool! Had a lovely day, felt nice and relaxed ready for my trip up to Syracuse the next day for the Gangs Conference.
The next day was really hot so went down to Long Island to the beach with my cousin her children and a friend and their family which was really nice. Spent most of the day in the water trying to stay cool! Had a lovely day, felt nice and relaxed ready for my trip up to Syracuse the next day for the Gangs Conference.
Saturday 10 July 2010
The journey begins
Oh my gosh, i cant believe the time has finally arrived for me to begin my trip!!! Time has gone so fast, i am as prepared as i can be, all the contacts are confirmed and in place, my bags are packed and i am ready to go!!! So excited!!!
I arrived in New York yesterday, after being greeted at the airport by my Aunt and cousins. It was really nice to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar place. I am planning to stay with them for the first few days of my trip before travelling up to Syracruse on Monday. I cant believe how hot it is here, 92 degrees and i had jeans on, what was i thinking!! I was glad to get back to her house to get my shorts on!! Sorted out all of the practical things yesterday such as my mobile phone which now works and i also have an American phone so that it will be cheaper to keep in contact with my contacts over here. Planning on just getting climatised this weekend and over my jet lag then beginning my journey on Monday starting with a conference in Syracruse run by the New York Gang Investigators Association which i am very much looking forward to attending. More information on that to follow.
I arrived in New York yesterday, after being greeted at the airport by my Aunt and cousins. It was really nice to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar place. I am planning to stay with them for the first few days of my trip before travelling up to Syracruse on Monday. I cant believe how hot it is here, 92 degrees and i had jeans on, what was i thinking!! I was glad to get back to her house to get my shorts on!! Sorted out all of the practical things yesterday such as my mobile phone which now works and i also have an American phone so that it will be cheaper to keep in contact with my contacts over here. Planning on just getting climatised this weekend and over my jet lag then beginning my journey on Monday starting with a conference in Syracruse run by the New York Gang Investigators Association which i am very much looking forward to attending. More information on that to follow.
Monday 5 July 2010
Packing
I have finally whittled down my clothes and with the help of my good friend Shelly, I have packed my suitcase. Dont know what I would have done without her, she is very ruthless. With her help I have actually manged to weigh in under the weight limit for a change!
I am all set to go now, very much looking forward to my journey and looking forward to all the visits I have planned and meeting all of the people who I have had email contact with over the last few months. Getting very excited but nervous at the same time!
I am all set to go now, very much looking forward to my journey and looking forward to all the visits I have planned and meeting all of the people who I have had email contact with over the last few months. Getting very excited but nervous at the same time!
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