U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will make an announcement at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 8, in Alexandria, Virginia, aimed at providing quality educational services for youth in correctional facilities as part of President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative. The announcement will take place at the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center.
The My Brother’s Keeper initiative aims to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and help all young people succeed and reach their potential. In May, the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force submitted its report to the President, outlining a set of initial recommendations and a blueprint for action to expand opportunities for all youth, including boys and young men of color. This report included a recommendation to “reform the juvenile and criminal justice systems to reduce unnecessary interactions for youth and enforce the rights of incarcerated youth to a quality education.”
An estimated 60,000 young people face confinement in juvenile justice or secure-care facilities nationally every day. Recent studies have shown that upon their release more than half of these young people are later rearrested with the cost of confining one young person averaging $88,000 per year. As noted in the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force report—when young people come into contact with the juvenile or criminal justice systems, these interactions should not put them off track for life. The President has set a goal that, by 2020, our nation will have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world and that all Americans complete at least one year or more of college or career training. The Administration believes that even youth in correctional facilities can play their part in helping us achieve that vision.
NOTE: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license as well as valid media credentials). Press inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Jo Ann Webb at [email protected] or Sabrina Curtis at [email protected]. Media may begin arriving at 9 a.m. EST, and must be pre-set by 9:15 a.m. EST.