At least 30 people ages 19 and younger are currently being held at Metro Jail in Mobile County, according to the Mobile County Jail log. Of those, at least 20 face violent crime charges, including murder, robbery, assault and domestic violence, and at least five are charged with murder outright.
Mobile Police Sergeant John Young, who leads the youth-focused group Men United Against Violence, said the numbers reflect a troubling pattern he has seen building for some time. Young said the figures are alarming, but not surprising to anyone who has spent time working with at-risk young people in the area.
Men United Against Violence runs youth programs designed to intervene before young people turn to crime, and Young said the group’s summer campaign carries a direct message for parents: “Your children are your responsibility.” He said the foundation for a child’s behavior comes from the home, and when parents do not value education or engagement, that attitude tends to pass down to their children. “Now if you have an ignorant parent who doesn’t value education, then that is spread to that child,” Young said.
According to Young, many of the young people ending up in the criminal justice system come from homes where education is not prioritized and where parents are largely absent from day-to-day life. He said basic academic skills are often missing entirely. “The parents aren’t engaging with these children. They can’t read, they can’t write, they can’t count,” Young said. “That’s the result of parents being absent. They keep trying to outsource to other programs. We don’t mind going to speak at schools, but we should only be repeating what is said at home.”
Young also pointed to unrestricted access to social media as a growing factor, saying many children are exposed to violent and harmful content well before they are equipped to process it responsibly. He urged parents to take a more active role in monitoring what their children consume and in building basic communication skills at home. “If you have children, be in their lives,” Young said. “Don’t let your child listen to provocative and sexually explicit music. Read to them. Sit and talk to them. Teach them how to think critically. How to hold a conversation. Let’s get back to doing that and I think we’ll begin to see a change.”
Young’s comments come as Mobile County continues to grapple with youth involvement in violent crime, an issue that community groups like Men United Against Violence say cannot be solved through law enforcement or school programming alone. Their message centers on early, consistent parental involvement as the most effective long-term intervention available.