The media ritual of the exit interview in which a journalist sits down for reflective conversation with a public figure leaving office or moving away shouldn't be confined only to elected officials or CEOs.

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Thanks to persistent intervention by AMOS leaders, Polk County school officials and law enforcement appear to be keeping more children and older minors out of court.

Between 2011 and 2015, suspensions and expulsions dropped by nearly 64% and suspensions for school attendance issues dropped by 91%. Arrests of minors by city police dropped by 32%, with a 21% reduction in the arrests of African American youth.

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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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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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"In the disagreement between Polk County officials and the citizen group AMOS, logic seems to favor AMOS. Especially in the long run.

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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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"Polk County Attorney John Sarcone accuses AMOS of distortion and grossly misleading people about juvenile justice in our county

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Citing concerns about an exponential rise in juvenile filings and detention holds, clergy leaders of A Mid Iowa Strategy (AMOS) are calling on their County Supervisors to vote against increased funding for juvenile attorneys, calling it a "direct result of the more punitive approach" recently taken towards children. An editorial written by several clergy triggered a heated response by the County Attorney (both pieces included below).

AMOS advocates a return "to the best practice model the County Attorney's office pioneered from 2006-2009" which made good use of "informal adjustments and alternatives to detentions for non-violent, non-repeat juvenile offenders."

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