PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — Often within the news, Prince George's County is featured when discussing crime, but that's not its complete story. It is also a county that prioritizes second chances and community.
State's Attorney for Prince George's County, Aisha Braveboy, expressed just that sentiment as she discussed with WUSA9 the place she calls home. Overall, crime is down by around 13%, compared to this same time last year, and that has been consistent for several weeks, Braveboy said. According to the state's attorney, this is a good sign that strategies put in place by her office and law enforcement are working.
But, one of the biggest issues remains juvenile crime numbers that involve very serious crimes, from carjackings to robberies or assaults, and sometimes even attempted murder, where they oftentimes use weapons. Kaden Holland, aka "Baby K," was just 15 years old when he allegedly pulled the trigger of a gun against a classmate's head, but it misfired. In early March, a judge determined that he would be tried as an adult for the crime that took place in May 2023. That case has since resulted in a plea deal.
This case is just one example of why juveniles having weapons is a high concern for the state's attorney.
"Number one it's a crime for them to possess a weapon, so they should not have a weapon, and then they’re committing offenses with those weapons," Braveboy said. "So we’re really focusing on sending a very strong message to young people that when you commit these types of offenses, you can, and oftentimes will, be prosecuted as an adult, that you’ll face very tough and stiff consequences that could really impact your life forever."
That message cannot be sent by her office alone, Braveboy said. It should be sent from parents, schools and any place youth find themselves gathering such as parks and sports teams. Adding a tip for parents, Braveboy said a lot of the children within the county who are committing these very serious crimes also have terrible attendance records. This is something that parents can have an impact on with the resource SchoolMAX, which is like a daily report card for their child.
"You can find out whether or not your child not only came to school, but whether or not they stayed in school throughout the day," Braveboy said. "It’s so important, and I know it’s one more thing that parents have to do, and I know that parents are stressed out, but this is the level investment we must demand that you have in your child’s future."
Braveboy says attendance issues can correlate to other things going on in the child's life such as bullying or self esteem issues. Another issue could be that they are being recruited into gangs or crews they shouldn't be in.
Another way parents can be vigilant is when it comes to electronics such as their cellphones -- knowing who their kids are talking to is important.
"I think that in going back, doing old school things, like, if someone wants to hang out with your son or daughter, say, hey, I need to meet their parents," Braveboy said. "I need to know that child."
Once the problem is figured out, the child can be set back on the right path to success with help.
Within the county, when people do find themselves on the wrong path and behind bars, Braveboy said there are community groups and expungement fairs, that give the opportunity to those who are eligible to get convictions expunged. Not everyone fits that category, because not every crime can be expunged, such as more violent offenses. Some crimes also come with a waiting period for expungement.
"We also have a Back On Track program which gives first-time felony offenders, nonviolent felony offenders, who are eligible, the opportunity to go through a program, and then at the end of this very intensive program, they have their convictions vacated, and then their record is clean," Braveboy said.
The program will see around 15 to 20 people graduate in June of this year, which opens new doors for them. Braveboy said that over the past four years the graduates have been successful and have not been returned to the justice system.
And in a job that she describes as tough, emotional, and demanding professionally, giving people second chances can be rewarding.
"I believe that redemption is real," Baveboy passionately expressed. "I believe I have seen it and experienced it and helped to facilitate those who have been redeemed to come back to our communities. And our communities are not unsafe for them being back. They’re safer because these are individuals who absolutely don’t want other people to end up where they were. They know how difficult it is to do time."
With the years to come, Braveboy said she sees the county being even more intentional when it comes to working to solve these crimes and decreasing juvenile crime numbers with the help of the community. This comes in many forms: being there for the child, but also for the parents and finding out what they need.
"We have to extend ourselves more. We have to be a more compassionate community," Braveboy said. "We can’t just say, look what that child did. We have to say what’s going on in that child’s life. Yes, we want to hold that child accountable for what they did. That is absolutely true. There absolutely has to be consequences. But how do we change behavior if we don’t know why he did it or why she did it? So those are the kinds of things that we really have to get to the bottom of to make a bigger difference."
And through life experience, and just reflecting on her own youth, one piece of honest advice Braveboy said she can give is, "Whenever you mess up, don’t stay there. If you get a C and not an A, that does not mean you’re not an A student. My point is that we determine how far we’ll go. Don’t let anyone else do that for you."
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