Over the last year, as part of a multi-year strategy to address the racial bias of the criminal justice system, leaders of AMOS (A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy) have recorded the stories of black Iowans racially profiled by store clerks, security guards, police and others. Says one mother of a teenage son, "I never, ever want to be that mom on TV who is crying … because something has happened to my son."

Black Iowans Fell Profiled by Police, Des Moines Register

On a February afternoon , 77 leaders and potential leaders of AMOS assembled to kick off a year of reorganizing and renewal for the organization. Sponsored by the AMOS Institute of Public Life, the training focused on preparing all participants to conduct relational meetings and then split into three tracks: building research teams, building congregational / institutional leadership teams and looking at the big picture (i.e. world as it is vs. the world as it should be).

The Rev. Dr. Brigitte Black and Rev. Denny Coon pointed out that over a year ago they, as clergy leaders of AMOS, 'lamented the alarming increases in the filings of delinquency and detention holds on Polk County juvenile .... the disproportionate impact that was having on youth of color.' Their words triggered a firestorm of news stories, government studies and efforts to address root causes of the situation. AMOS clergy point out that amidst that firestorm, signs of hope emerged...

Polk County Makes Progress on Juvenile Justice, Des Moines Register

Building on a public conversation about juvenile criminal justice, initiated last year by AMOS, almost 800 people gathered at Iowa Events Center to hear the latest findings on the developing brains of children and youth.

Dr. Dipesh Navsaria explained that when young children are routinely stressed, such as in cases of abuse, "their systems bombard them with 'flight or flight' hormones", the overproduction of which can stunt their ability to control their emotions or even learn.

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At a town hall meeting held in Ames, Iowa, Congressman Steve King was confronted by AMOS leaders unhappy with his recent votes on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and treatment of unaccompanied minors from Central America.

Shari Reilly appealed to the Catholic faith shared with King when she asked him to take a more "humanitarian approach" to the unaccompanied children arriving from Mexico and Central America. On behalf of AMOS she invited the Congressman to a public assembly to be held in September at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.

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After observing juvenile judicial hearings at the Polk County Courthouse through their recently established 'Courtwatchers' program, leaders of A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy, AMOS, identified a 767% increase in misdemeanor holds for African American youth and an overall increase in juvenile detention holds overall. Leaders soon called publicly for a return of a restorative justice approach that had served Polk County well for years, among other policy recommendations.

The Des Moines Register notes that the juvenile justice system is "slowly evolving in response" to long lasting consequences on youth from court involvement, an issue raised by AMOS earlier this year. The front page story below includes the impact of such an approach on at least one Iowan teen.

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After a year of observing juvenile judicial hearings at the Polk County Courthouse, and identifying a 767% increase in misdemeanor holds for African American youth, AMOS leaders identified several ways to better protect youthful offenders. 200 leaders strategized about desired reforms at their 'Restorative Justice' conference, and voted to support a Polk Courthouse renovation plan, which includes several of AMOS' ideas , and which would require passage of a bond proposal in early November. The proposed plans include space for pretrial conferences and mediation; a system to keep youthful offenders away from adult offenders; discreet spaces that keep youth out of the public eye when brought into the courtroom; and a setup allowing for juveniles to sit eye-to-eye with judges in the courtroom.

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The $750,000 grant will provide training and technical help from the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for improving services to young offenders. The three-year program will be administered by the Iowa Department of Human Rights' Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning....

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"Douglas Wells' path to a well-paying job with potential for advancement had a few bumps, but the 27-year-old credits perseverance and a publicly and privately funded training and mentoring program with helping him reach his goal.

Wells completed a welding course and has been working at the Bridgestone Firestone tire plant in Des Moines. For now he is driving a forklift, but he is sure there are opportunities for advancement. More important, this father of two young girls will be able to set an example....

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"'Jobs in the middle-skill and high-skill categories will become increasingly difficult to fill because of demographic changes, structural change in the economy and divergent skill distribution,' the report said. "Iowa's labor force is expected to grow more slowly at the same time that baby boomers will be retiring."

The statistics are compelling for Reed, who is participating in Project Iowa, a central Iowa faith-based initiative designed to help unemployed or under-employed Iowans train for high-demand jobs...."

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