Project S.A.F.E. — Safety Awareness and Firearms Education — was developed last year within the Maricopa County juvenile justice system to serve youths on probation for first-time gun offenses.
Through online lessons and in person mentoring, program officials say Project S.A.F.E. is empowering the youths to take accountability while looking toward the future.
Judge Lori Bustamante is one of the program's developers. She said Project S.A.F.E. lets kids create a future for themselves that isn’t defined by their time in the justice system.
“We feel like it’s really having an impact on them and they're really focusing on their future, " Bustamante said. “And creating that positive future for themselves and having a better understanding of what that looks like and putting themselves in a positive light.”
Project S.A.F.E. can also serve as an incentive and motivator for kids in the program. Bustamante said if the program is completed in a timely manner on top of all other probation requirements, it’s possible for youths to terminate their probation early.
-
A bill designed to reform how family courts treat parents with a history of domestic violence unanimously passed the Arizona Legislature and awaits Gov. Katie Hobbs’ signature. -
This past weekend marked the 60th anniversary of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in a case that originated with the Phoenix Police Department. Ernesto Miranda confessed to kidnapping and sexual assault, but Justices ruled that detectives should have told him certain information first. -
In March, Todd Maddox, 59, was arrested after museum staff witnessed him breaking off pieces of a marble wall and throwing them at the large red sculpture called "Jurassic Age.” -
Here’s a story that sounds like sci-fi: Every law enforcement agency in Cochise County will soon use iris scanning technology to identify people. -
Police are continuing to investigate the death of a man with developmental disabilities who was found inside a vehicle parked outside a Mesa adult care facility.
