• Research reveals many youth have little and/or no fear or respect for life
• The most likely person to commit murder is an 18 year old
• Violent crime and homicide is the number one cause of death for Black males between ages 15-24

• Crime is highest in the South than any other region in the United States
• Crime is lowest during the month of February
• Thirteen (13) youth are homicide victims and 316 youth under age 18 are arrested for violent crimes per day
• Each day 5,702 children under 18 years of age are arrested and 16 youth are killed by firearms
• Experts predict an increase in violent crimes in the years ahead for demographic reasons alone
• Twenty-five (25) percent of all homicides are committed by juveniles

• The high school dropout rate is highest among Hispanics and followed closely, by African-Americans for the first time, with Black youth relinquishing first place to the Hispanic community as opposed to other groups in America.
• High school students from low-income families dropout six (6) times the rate of their peers from higher income families.
• Georgia has the highest school dropout rate in the country and less than half (1/2) African-Americans and Hispanics graduate timely or within four (4) years in Georgia public schools.
• Each day 3,356 and/or 1.2 million students per year in the United States dropout of high school and 13, 076 public school students are suspended per day.

• African-American males are six (6) times more likely to be sent to prison than their white peers.
• There are more black males inside the penal institutions than there are enrolled in institutions of higher learning
• Youth under age 18 have doubled in our prison system over the last decades
• African-Americans make up 42% of the prison inmate population serving on death row
• African-Americans make up only 12% and Black youth make up only 5% of the national population yet, disproportionately, they make up 80-82% of the prison inmate population in America's penal institutions

• South Carolina has the lowest graduation rate in the country.
• About one-half (1/2) of the teens in Georgia public schools earn a diploma and Georgia is below the national average among AL, DE, FL and MS.
• Georgia is near the bottom in the graduation rate.
• Georgia SAT scores have dropped and is ranked number 47th nationally.
• The graduation rates are significantly lower in school districts with a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunches.

• Georgia ranks number two (2) in the nation with the worst gang problems.

• Drugs use increase is highest among black youth than any other groups.
• The use of methamphetamines, hallucinogenic drugs, inhalants and beer drinking are highest among white youth than any other groups.  Hispanic youth are closing the gap for a first place tie in the use of inhalants.
• Gwinnett County, Georgia holds three (3) of the top four record seizures in the southeast for methamphetamine trafficking.

• African-American males are six (6) times more likely to be sent to prison than their white peers.
• Black youth are six (6) times more likely to be locked up than white peers when they are charged with similar crimes and when neither have prior records.
• Minority youth are more likely than white youth to be referred to juvenile court; detained, face trial as adults; jailed with adults; prosecuted; receive harsher punishment and jail sentences than their white peers for the same, first time and repeated crimes by the juvenile justice system.  Racial bias exists at every step of the juvenile justice process.

• Bullying, threats, bombings and mass murders are occurring in U.S. public schools and it has become an epidemic in America.

• Georgia is among three (3) other southern states (FL, MS and TX) with the most hate groups in the United States.
• Hate crimes in 2007 increased by 8% nationally.

• Suicides are the 11th leading cause of death nationwide among youth 15-24 years of age and it is highest among white Americans.
• Six (6) youth under age twenty commit suicide each day.

• TN, MS, AL, GA, FL. SC and LA are among the country's leaders in teenage pregnancy.
• One thousand four hundred twenty (1,420) babies are born each day to teen mothers.
• Two thousand five hundred fifty-six (2,556) babies are born into poverty per day

• Three youth under age 25 die from HIV per day.

• There is a widespread erosion of morals, social values and character among America's youth population.

• Many youth are hopeless, lack identity and exposure of genuine and positive role-models
• Many youth have little and/or no fear or respect for life
• Many youth will continue to under-achieve, lose hope, faith, confidence, respect for others and give up from day-to-day.
• Americans between 15-24 years of age are projected to increase over the next decade

Listed above are reasons why the programs are crucial, justified and needed.  However, your sensitivity and caring attitude are elicited to bring at least one of these programs to fruition this year for your school enrollment, faculty and staff development.

This is not a Black, Hispanic, White or Asian problem.  It is an American problem and epidemic that threatens every institution within our society.  Each ethnic group is leading in at least one of the social problem category.

BJPPMC believes all youth are at risk because of their surroundings, experiences and relationships with the various institutions of society.