Greg Couturier, a Peaceworker Fellow affiliated with UMBC’s Shriver Center, recently wrote an op-ed published in The Baltimore Sun about the current state of Baltimore’s juvenile services. In his commentary titled “A plea for moral imagination,” Couturier argues more needs to be done than simply spending money to combat juvenile crime.

“Instead of putting delinquent youth in facilities that have been proven to exacerbate violent behavior, many researchers are now calling for a push toward evidence-based, family-centered and community-based interventions, such as multi-systemic therapy, functional family therapy and various types of social education programs,” he writes.

Couturier is currently earning his Master’s of Social Work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and works with the UMBC-Lakeland project as his service placement. He has also spent time as a Shriver Center Choice Fellow, and credits his experience during that time with inspiring him to find solutions for youth development. In his column, he calls on Baltimore City officials to think more creatively about peace-building initiatives in the new year while increasing funding for youth development programs.

“Such a resolution would be a proactive investment in the social capital of our city’s youth, an untapped asset that would bring boundless returns,” he writes.

You can read the full op-ed in The Baltimore Sun here.