Gibson details Horizon problems and calls for interventions

As you all know and have heard in June of this year, I believe it was Father's Day weekend, we saw a violent incident in Horizon Juvenile Center, which is in the Bronx, where over a dozen people were injured.

And I want to acknowledge the uniformed staff, the civilian staff at Horizon, and everyone that is

entrusted to care for the young people that are there.

This must be a renewed focus on the policies, the procedures, the guidelines, and the conditions that led to this incident, as well as ones that happened prior, as well as after.

Frankly, Horizon and Crossroad, I'm adding that as well, is not where it needs to be today for young people, their families, and the communities that they will be returning to after their sentence.

Horizon is suffering with maintenance issues, space issues, capacity, cleanliness, overcrowding, staffing shortages, violence among crews, and many other violations that prevent successful outcomes.

When we have young people sleeping in classrooms, and yes, Chair Stevens, I saw that too.

That was the first thing I wanted to see when I got to Horizon.

Show me the classroom spaces where our students are sleeping on cots.

I have not seen a picture of anyone sleeping on the floor, so make sure that you can share that with me as well.

But clearly something has gone wrong over this process, over this time, and we need greater interventions to improve the conditions in Horizon and get the overcrowding and capacity issue under control.

Speeding up the court process to ensure that no young person or persons are waiting for detention for their trial, considering and pursuing additional alternatives, ATI,

ATD programs that many of you have talked about, non-secure detention, and intensive case monitoring.

We also took...

about that too.

And restoring a lot of the programs at DOP, Department of Probation, that were cut, programs that we were definitely supportive of in the Bronx.

Expanding engagements with at-risk youth and their advocates, talking to families, building true

commodity and a continuum of care to prevent criminal justice involvement in the first place.

And that includes everyone you talked about, Chair, not just probation, ACS, New York City Public Schools, DYCD.

It includes all of us, all of our crisis management system, partners that are working in our boroughs, in the city, everyone, the unions, the stakeholders, DC 37, Local 371, everyone must be a part of these conversations.

And we have to make sure we invest in upgrades.

When I was at Horizon, I said to the commissioner, why can these students not give this place a paint job?

They need serious improvements at Horizon.

And the talented students, we should make sure that they can be a part of that as well, making sure that the program is sufficient to meet the needs of the young people today.

I had an opportunity when I was their chair, I talked to a lot of the young men.

I talked about their history of how they got there, why they're there, and how they need to be different when they leave.

I reminded them that their circumstance never defines who they are, but they can not only overcome, but they can get rehabilitated, they can be transformed, and they can exit much better than they

the way they entered.

We have a lot of work to do, Councilmember, but I understand and know the work ahead.

I know the risks, but the ultimate goal is to break the cycle of the criminal justice system and recidivism.

So many young people getting rearrested, changing their neighborhoods, their environments, and where they're returning to.

That includes the school partners, the youth partners, and everyone else that is entrusted with the care of our young people and making sure that we invest in the infrastructure.

Chair Stevens, you have been incredible on this issue over not just your time as council member, but prior to that as well.