Detroit City Wire

DETROIT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan is committed to educating youth on the dangers and consequences of their actions. As part of its prevention outreach efforts, this past school year, the Office partnered with the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) to introduce Project LEAD (Legal Enrichment and Decision-Making) to elementary school children. Project LEAD provides a curriculum that focuses on the legal and social consequences of juvenile crimes, such as truancy, illicit drug use, and shoplifting. It was introduced at two elementary schools in Detroit this past school year. Additionally, the program focuses on teaching students techniques for resolving conflict, resisting peer pressure, promoting tolerance, respect for diversity, and achieving economic stability. The program concludes with students performing a mock trial and putting into practice what they have learned about the criminal justice system.

Bow Elementary School and Pulaski Elementary School, both in Detroit, were selected as part of the One Detroit Violence Reduction Partnership’s prevention efforts. Each school is located in the 8th and 9th Precincts, respectively, which are focus areas for the violent crime initiative.

The 10-week program consisted of Assistant United States Attorneys serving as facilitators, going into classrooms and providing lessons on topics such as the Rule of Law, Order in the Court, the Juvenile Justice System, and Conflict Resolution. The program ended with a mock trial held at the United States District Court where students played roles such as judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, jurors, bailiff, and witnesses.

Project LEAD has been proven effective. A team of researchers conducted an evaluation to gauge its impact on students’ knowledge and attitudes about the legal system as well as its capacity as a delinquency prevention model. The results showed that Project LEAD students gain important “protective factors,” which buffer against “risk factors” that increase or decrease the risk of youth experiencing or perpetrating violence. These protective factors may lessen the likelihood of violence victimization and perpetration. Project LEAD gives students skills to evaluate challenging situations and make good decisions while gaining an understanding of the legal system.

“We are committed to balancing our investigative and prosecutive efforts with outreach strategies designed to prevent violent crime from happening, especially among our youth,” stated U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison. “We appreciate our partnership with DPSCD and the opportunity to bring this successful evidence-based program to elementary schools in two Detroit communities with high rates of violence. We hope the life skills provided in Project LEAD will equip students for future success. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with DPSCD and partnering with other school districts to bring Project LEAD to multiple elementary schools throughout the District in the new school year.”

“It was an honor to participate in Project LEAD this school year," said Wilma Muhammad, 4th and 5th grade English Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher at Pulaski Elementary. "I saw my students come alive and participate in a capacity that allowed them to connect school and real-life situations. They learned a lot about the justice system while practicing reading and writing skills. The field trip to the courthouse was unforgettable for them."