District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar Joins Panel on Afterschool

On April 29, San Joaquin District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar participated in a panel titled, “Law Enforcement as Partners & Advocates in Expanded Learning Programs.” As part of an annual conference hosted by BOOST (Best of Out-Of-School Time), DA Verber Salazar shared the compelling work she is doing in her community to address child and family poverty, as well as the efforts that afterschool and summer learning programs can provide in preventing crime and keeping youth engaged.

The panel included voices from afterschool providers like President and CEO Eric Gurna of LA’s BEST, which provides a nutritious meal, homework help and the opportunity to participate in a wide array of enrichment activities to thousands of students across Los Angeles. The programming focuses on social-emotional learning, which helps students gain confidence, show empathy and develop positive relationships.

Since 2000, juvenile arrest rates have decreased by 70 percent nationwide. Yet, juvenile crime continues to peak in the after school hours between 2 and 6 p.m. In September of 2020, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids released a brief titled “Afterschool: A Solution to the Prime Time for Juvenile Crime in California” which highlighted these findings, as well as the fact that afterschool programs can help reduce crime, improve student behavior, boost academic performance, and increase graduation rates.