After-school programs can literally save young peoples’ lives, and our state should do everything it can to make sure such programs stay afloat financially.
Research has shown, time and again, that young people are far more likely to become involved in violence during the after-school hours. One example: National data from 2019, compiled by the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, shows that on school days, the number of violent crimes committed by youth ages 7 to 17 was at its highest — 64.6 per 1,000 young people — at 3 p.m. The rate declined but remained high until 5 p.m.
