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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Carlos Kaisa, Program Participant from ARCHES, Youth Justice Network
6:47:52
ยท
120 sec
Carlos Kaisa, a participant in the ARCHES program and a high school senior, testified about the need for increased investment in youth programs as alternatives to incarceration. He highlighted the disparity between the high cost of incarcerating youth and the relatively low cost of funding after-school programs.
- Kaisa emphasized that $900,000 spent on incarcerating one young person could fund multiple after-school programs, which serve as alternatives to incarceration.
- He shared his personal experience with alternative incarceration programs like ARCHES and Youth Represent, which helped him grow and become a youth advocate.
- Kaisa called for more funding for programs addressing substance abuse, mental health, workforce development, and mentoring to give youth opportunities and keep them out of the criminal justice system.
Carlos Kaisa
6:47:52
Good afternoon.
6:47:53
Thank you for having me.
6:47:55
My name is Carlos Kaisa.
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I'm currently enrolled in ARCHES, an alternative incarceration program, a youth justice network.
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I'm also a member of the youth committee hosted by Youth Represent, and I'm a senior humanities professor academy at high school.
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I'm graduating this year.
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I'm here today to justify about a budget that invests in youth.
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New York currently spends $900,000 per year on incarcerating a single young person.
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In New York City, Ten Thousand Dollars could fund an after school program for one year.
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That $900,000 can be relocated to those after school programs that council serve as an alternative to incarceration and a way to keep kids out the streets.
6:48:35
In 02/2001, the budget for the detention centers and other services was a hundred and 10,000,000.
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And in 2020, it rose up to 285,000,000.
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The real question is now, what exactly are the other services this money is going to?
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Not only is this budget being wasted and handled wrong, but there's youth out there that are finding themselves in trouble because they don't have anything to keep them from engaging in negativity.
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Teens that are arrested often have to deal with repercussions and end up in the detention centers in a space that's overcrowded and where they are mistreated.
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This can affect them mentally and continue the cycle of them being lost.
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These are all reasons why we need more money into alternative incarceration programs and programs that where young people can spend their time doing something positive.
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Two programs that personally helped me are the archers program, a youth justice network, and a youth community and youth represent.
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These programs allowed me to learn more and help me grow up.
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They have given me a second chance and allowed me to change into a better version of myself and become a youth advocate and a youth mentor.
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Other programs that will benefit youth include programs that offer support with substance abuse, mental health, workforce development programs, and mentoring programs.
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I'm asking the city council today to listen to youth like myself and invest in our futures right now through this budget so more youth all over New York City can have the same opportunity to programs that help me.
6:49:51
Thank you for listening.