Agency Aims to Decrease Blacks in Prison
By Tia Carol Jones
WI Staff Writer
Thursday, March 20, 2008

 
Rudy Davis, also known as DJ Flava, went to a group home when he was nine-years-old. At age 11, he went to live with his uncle in Virginia. Throughout the 31-year-old’s life, he went to a juvenile detention center, got his GED and started working for WKYS-FM.
 
“I knew jail life wasn’t for me; I’ve made some major choices,” Davis said.
 
Davis told his story to a group of community leaders, law enforcement and social services workers at the kick-off for the Disproportionate Minority Contact Awareness Campaign hosted by the Department of Family Services.
 
The purpose was to come up with ways to reduce the number of young people being incarcerated. According to the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections, as of July 2007 there were 1,387 men and 112 women in jail and 78.6 percent of them were Black.
 
“This is a systemic problem, not just a Prince George’s problem. We need to put programs and strategies in place to address it,” said Rick Missouri of the county’s Department of Family Services.
 
Patricia Morris, director of the Department of Family Services, said the things the agency is doing could not be done without the help of their partners in Prince George’s County. Howard Burnett, deputy chief administrative officer for Prince George’s County Health and Human Services, said it is important to look at the issues that face minority males and young people.       
 
“With the wealth of resources we have in Prince George’s County we’re seeking to bring together community, law enforcement and the local government,” Burnett said.
 
One of the topics discussed was rap music and the message it is sending to children. Davis responded that it was not the music that is the problem.
 
“The imagery is just that, an image. [It’s] words and terminology. Hip-hop and music is an attitude, a culture,” Davis said.
  
Davis said “kids can think for themselves” and asked the people in the room, “when you talk to these young people are you really listening?” He said there were many people along the way that helped him.
 
“We have to continue to look out for each other,” he said.
 
Judy DuBose, director of the Commission for Family, Youth and Families, said the issue has been something her agency has worked on for the past two years.
 
“We are here to recognize there is an obvious overrepresentation of African American males in secure detention. As citizens of Prince George’s County, we can really put forth an effort to assist in more ways than one,” she said.
 
DuBose, who has an 18-year old son, said “not only can I relate to this issue personally, I can relate to it professionally.” One of the things DuBose suggested is cultural competency training for law enforcement agencies.
 
“We want to look at our biases and prejudices and look at why there are so many
African American males in prison,” DuBose said.
 

Tia Carol Jones can be reached at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net.