Forks in the Road

#Part 1: Why a Map of Forks?

Prisons, courts, and emergency rooms are the downstream rescue crew. The work is real and it saves lives, but it never ends, because the river keeps delivering people. Prevention is the walk upstream. It asks: where did this person's path split? Who was standing at that split? What would it have taken for them to go the other way?

TJP leadership put the worry plainly: "I'm afraid we're going to run out of ideas about where and how to prevent crime." This document is built so that does not happen. It gives TJP a way to find forks on purpose, not by luck, and a routine (the Idea Engine, Part 8) that keeps the list growing for the full five years and beyond.

#What a "fork" is

A fork is a point in time when a small, well-timed push changes the direction of a path. Three things make a fork:

1. A decision is still open. The child has not yet joined the group. The man has not yet picked up the gun. The family has not yet stopped talking.
2. Somebody could be there. A teacher, a coach, a pastor, a nurse, a cousin, an officer, a letter, a recorded voice.
3. The cost of help is still low. A conversation at age 11 costs less than a trial at age 19.

#Why the earliest fork is usually the best one (and when it is not)

Earlier forks tend to be cheaper, reach more people, and spare more victims. But early work only pays off if it reaches the right people and is done well. Sometimes the most powerful fork is late: the hospital bed after a shooting, the first night home from prison, the week after an overdose reversal. Those moments are called teachable moments: the person is open to change because the cost of the old path just became real. This map includes both kinds.

#Part 2: The PATHS Framework

PATHS has five parts. Each one answers a different question about a fork.

#P: The three prevention levels

Public health sorts prevention into three levels. The names sound technical, but the ideas are simple.

TJP will work at all three levels, but most of our reach will be universal (recorded and written material for schools, churches, and families) and selected (materials for groups with known risk, such as children of incarcerated parents or students in alternative schools). The indicated level usually belongs to licensed professionals; TJP supports them with materials and credible voices, never by acting as clinicians.

#A: Age and stage (the life course)

Harm does not start on the day of the crime. It grows through stages. We use eight:

1. Prenatal and early childhood (pregnancy to age 5)
2. Elementary (ages 5 to 10)
3. Middle school (ages 11 to 14)
4. High school (ages 14 to 18)
5. Young adult (ages 18 to 25)
6. Adult (25 and up)
7. Reentry (the months before and after release)
8. Family of the incarcerated (children, partners, and parents of people in prison)

The eighth stage is not an age at all. It is a situation that touches every age, and it is the one TJP residents are closest to. The Annie E. Casey Foundation reports that more than 5 million U.S. children have had a parent in jail or prison at some point in their lives. Parental incarceration is itself counted among adverse childhood experiences. Many forks for the next generation run straight through our visiting rooms and phone lines.

#T: Turning points

A turning point is the fork itself: a first suspension, a first arrest, a first drink at 12, a first time carrying a gun, a first hit in a relationship, a release date. Turning points are where the three prevention levels meet a real person on a real day.

#H: Harm-allowing culture

Every harm is allowed by something: a rule nobody enforces, a silence everybody keeps, a story everyone believes. TJP leadership wrote, "we want to change the cultural conditions that allowed the unwanted behavior." That is the H in PATHS. Common harm-allowing conditions include:

TJP's courses speak directly to these. Course 6, The Engine of Violence (Gilligan, Brown, Tangney), explains how shame drives violence. Course 11, Acts of Violence Are Failed Requests (Rosenberg), gives words to replace force. Course 12, Leverage Points (Meadows, Stevenson), shows how to change the rules and beliefs underneath.

#S: System levers (Meadows' ladder, simplified)

Donella Meadows, a systems scientist, listed twelve "leverage points," places to push on a system, from weak to strong. The idea is that changing a number (more police, a longer sentence) is a weak push, while changing the rules, the goals, or the beliefs of a system is a strong push. We simplify her list into a five-rung ladder.

A one-time talk at a school is still worth doing, because it opens doors. But TJP should always ask, "How does this event climb the ladder? Does it lead to a rule change, a new routine, or a changed belief?"

#The Fork Map

Here is the whole life course on one page. Each row is a life stage. The columns show the key fork, the risk signs that mark it, the protective factors that help most, and the TJP channels that fit (1 Written, 2 Recorded, 3 Live visitors, 4 Training other incarcerated people).

#Risk and protective factors (what the evidence says)

A risk factor raises the odds of harm. A protective factor lowers them. Neither is destiny. Most children with many risk factors never commit serious harm, and that fact is itself a clue: something protected them.

#Part 3: The South Carolina Lens

TJP's mission names South Carolina, so our map must use South Carolina facts. Every number below was checked against the source listed at the end of this document. Where a number could not be verified, we say so. Verify locally before quoting any of these in a public product; numbers change every year.

#Part 4: How TJP Works at a Fork (Safety and Scope)

Before the categories, here are the rules that shape every idea in this document. They are not obstacles. They are what make TJP trustworthy enough to be invited in.

#Five scope rules

1. No direct contact with minors. Residents never write to, call, meet, or message a specific child. All youth-facing work is supervised, approved programming delivered through partners (DJJ, school districts, churches, youth organizations). Letters for youth are general, unsigned or first-name-only as the partner allows, reviewed by TJP staff, approved by the Interdepartmental Committee, and delivered by the partner under its own rules.
2. Educators, never therapists. Peer facilitators teach, model, and share. They do not diagnose, counsel, or treat. Any work that touches trauma, abuse, or suicide risk is staff-facilitated and, where needed, run by licensed partners.
3. No details of harm. TJP products describe patterns, feelings, and turning points, never methods. This is absolute for abuse of minors, sexual violence, and trafficking.
4. Victims first. Nothing TJP produces should re-injure a survivor. Products touching domestic violence, sexual violence, or child abuse get reviewed by a victim-services partner before release.
5. Up the chain, every time. Residents propose. The Interdepartmental Committee supervises and approves. The Board of Volunteers guards mission fit and integrity. The SCDC Division of Programs, Reentry, and Rehabilitative Services provides oversight, and its policies govern any product leaving the institution.

#The Four Channels at a fork

The sequence 4, 1, 3, 2 still applies. Start inside, where TJP already has access and can test products safely. Then write. Then invite. Then record.

#How to read each category in Part 5

Every category uses the same six parts, so the Task Force can compare them:

1. The typical path (4 to 7 steps)
2. The forks (earliest first)
3. The culture that allows it, and how to shift it
4. What already works (with an honest evidence rating)
5. The TJP role (courses, channels, partners, audience)
6. A Keystone idea (bounded, specific, South Carolina)

Evidence ratings used in this document:

#Part 5: The Harm Categories

#5.1 Gang-Related and Group Violence

The typical path

1. A child feels unsafe, unseen, or broke, often at home and at school at once.
2. Older youth offer protection, money, and belonging.
3. Small favors (holding, watching, carrying) build loyalty and debt.
4. A public insult or a loss demands a response in front of the group.
5. Violence earns status, and status invites retaliation.
6. Arrest, injury, or death, and the group recruits the next child.

The forks, earliest first

The culture that allows it: the code of silence; the belief that respect must be taken, not earned; masculinity scripts ("never back down"); and adult absence after school. How to shift it: credible messengers who say out loud that the code protected the group, not them; making it normal for a young man to walk away and still be respected; filling the after-school hours.

What already works

The TJP role: Course 6 (The Engine of Violence) and Course 11 (Nonviolent Communication) become a recorded "respect without violence" module for alternative schools and DJJ, delivered by partner staff. Course 13 (No One Educates Alone) trains residents as credible voices for GVI call-ins where a local program invites a recorded or live statement. Channels: 4 (young men on the yard first), 2, 3. Partners: SC DJJ, local GVI or ceasefire efforts (verify locally), alternative school principals, Teen After-School Centers. Audience: boys 11 to 17 in alternative placements; young men at call-ins.

Keystone idea: "The Walk-Away Toolkit." A 6-session, staff-delivered curriculum for one SC DJJ evaluation center or one alternative school, built from resident narratives (with consent) and CBT skills (cognitive behavioral skills: learning to notice a hot thought and slow down before acting) modeled on Becoming a Man, with a PROOF line on fights and referrals.

#5.2 Armed Robbery

The typical path

1. Money pressure (rent, a child, a habit, a debt) meets a peer who "knows a way."
2. Small theft builds confidence; fear of being broke grows louder than fear of prison.
3. A gun is borrowed or bought; the plan is framed as "nobody gets hurt."
4. The robbery happens fast, with adrenaline and often substances.
5. Victims carry lasting trauma; the robber faces long mandatory time.

The forks, earliest first: (1) a teen's first paid job, or the lack of one; (2) the first time a peer offers "easy money"; (3) the first time carrying a weapon; (4) a debt or addiction crisis; (5) the night before, when one friend could still say no.

The culture that allows it: "get it how you live"; flashing money as proof of worth; seeing a store clerk as a building, not a person. How to shift it: victim-impact education that makes the clerk human; celebrating legal hustle (trades, small business); peer permission to say "I'm out."

What already works

The TJP role: Course 10 (Redemptive Compassion) and Course 2 (The Unmaking of a Criminal) become a written "The Person Behind the Counter" booklet, co-reviewed by a victim-services partner. Course 9 (Identity Is a Vote) becomes a money-and-identity module for workforce programs. Channels: 1, 3. Partners: SC Works centers, youth job programs, victim-services agencies. Audience: 16 to 24 year olds in job-readiness programs.

Keystone idea: A 4-session "Fast Money, Long Time" module for one SC youth workforce program, pairing honest math (sentence lengths, lost wages) with CBT skills and a victim perspective, piloted with staff delivery and a pre/post measure.

#5.3 Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence

The typical path

1. A boy grows up seeing violence at home and learns that control equals love or power.
2. In early dating, jealousy and checking a phone are treated as normal.
3. Isolation: the partner is cut off from friends and money.
4. Threats, then violence, often escalating around pregnancy, separation, or a gun in the house.
5. Children witness it, and the cycle is handed down.
6. The most dangerous time is often when the partner tries to leave.

The forks, earliest first

The culture that allows it: "what happens in this house stays in this house"; religious or family pressure to stay; men raised to see asking for help as weakness; jokes that make abuse normal. How to shift it: coaches, pastors, and men with credibility naming control as weakness, not strength; teaching bystanders what to say; honest talk in churches.

What already works

The TJP role: Course 11 (NVC) for families; Course 6 (shame) for men's groups; Course 3 (The Science of Safety) to explain why threat shuts down thinking. A written "Before You Hit" guide for men's church groups, reviewed by a DV advocacy partner. Residents teach inside first (Channel 4): men preparing for release and fathers. Partners: the SC Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (SCCADVASA), local shelters, pastors. Audience: men 18 to 40; church men's ministries; high school coaches.

Keystone idea: "Coach's Corner: Respect Is the Play." A 10-card set of coaches' talks for one SC high school athletic program, adapted with permission from Coaching Boys Into Men principles, plus a recorded resident message on shame and control (reviewed by a DV partner).

#5.4 Abuse of Minors (Physical, Emotional, Neglect, Sexual): Prevention Only

The typical path (protective view)

1. A parent or caregiver is overwhelmed: stress, poverty, substance use, their own untreated childhood harm.
2. Adults around the child notice something is off but do not know what to do, or fear "getting involved."
3. Organizations (churches, teams, camps) lack clear safety rules like two-adult policies.
4. The child senses that telling is not safe or will not be believed.
5. Harm continues, and the child carries it into adulthood.

The forks, earliest first

The culture that allows it: family secrecy; "don't air our business"; respect for adults that silences children; organizations protecting their reputation over children; the belief that "it doesn't happen here." How to shift it: make protecting children every adult's job; make safety policies normal and expected, not insulting; teach adults to believe and respond calmly; honor survivors.

What already works

The TJP role: TJP's safest and strongest role here is with adults. Course 4 (Trauma and the Brain) and Course 3 (Safety) support a parents-inside curriculum: "What Children Need When Things Are Hard." Course 12 (Leverage Points) supports a policy brief for churches on child-safety policies. Residents who are parents learn attachment basics from licensed staff and partners (Circle of Security is delivered by trained facilitators, so TJP would host it, not teach it). Channels: 4 (parents inside, staff-led), 1 (church policy brief), 3 (Darkness to Light facilitator visit). Partners: Darkness to Light, child advocacy centers, Children's Trust of South Carolina (verify program fit), chaplains. Audience: incarcerated parents, church leaders, youth ministry volunteers.

Keystone idea: "The Safe Church Starter Kit." A two-page policy template and a one-hour adult training plan for one SC congregation or denomination district, built with Darkness to Light materials and reviewed by a child advocacy center, with a PROOF line on policy adoption.

#5.5 Drug-Related Crime (Possession, Distribution, Drug-Driven Property Crime, Overdose)

The typical path

1. Pain comes first: trauma, loss, injury, anxiety (Maté's question: "not why the addiction, but why the pain").
2. Early use at 11 to 14, often from a family member's supply.
3. Use becomes self-medication; selling becomes a way to pay for it or to earn.
4. Arrests for possession or theft; jail interrupts work and family.
5. Release with lowered tolerance; overdose risk is highest in the first weeks.
6. Death, or a return to the cycle.

The forks, earliest first: (1) a home with substance use, where a child needs a safe adult; (2) first use in middle school; (3) first possession arrest (diversion vs. record); (4) first nonfatal overdose (the teachable moment); (5) release from incarceration (overdose danger); (6) a family member who learns what to say, and carries naloxone.

The culture that allows it: shame and secrecy about addiction; "junkie" language; the idea that selling is the only real job; families that cannot talk about a relative's use. How to shift it: treat addiction as a health problem with a moral dimension, not a moral problem only; normalize naloxone the way we normalize fire extinguishers; give families a script for loving honesty.

What already works

The TJP role: Course 8 (Ask a Different Question) is the heart: a family addiction education series ("The Pain Beneath the Habit") for visiting families and church recovery ministries. Course 7 (Mindfulness) and Course 5 (Somatic response) support relapse awareness. Channel 4: residents teach men nearing release about overdose risk after release and where naloxone is available (verify SCDC and DPH policy). Partners: SC DPH, recovery community organizations, drug courts, faith-based recovery. Audience: families of people in prison; residents within 12 months of release; church recovery groups.

Keystone idea: "The First 14 Days." An overdose-prevention and reconnection guide for men released from one SCDC institution, co-built with a recovery partner and SC DPH materials, with a PROOF line on guide delivery and 90-day follow-up contacts.

#5.6 Firearm Violence and Retaliation

The typical path

1. A young person is threatened or sees someone shot.
2. Fear says "carry"; carrying makes every argument deadlier.
3. A disrespect or social media post sparks conflict.
4. Someone is shot; friends feel honor-bound to answer.
5. Retaliation, then counter-retaliation, often between the same small networks.

The forks, earliest first: (1) first exposure to gun violence (child); (2) first time carrying; (3) a social media conflict before it goes to the street; (4) the hospital bed after being shot (the most powerful teachable moment); (5) the funeral, where friends decide what happens next; (6) safe storage in homes with children and teens.

The culture that allows it: "if you get hit, you hit back"; guns as proof of manhood; mistrust of police so deep that people "handle it themselves"; the online stage where disrespect goes public. How to shift it: make choosing life a sign of strength; spread the credible-messenger voice ("I took the shot back and lost 15 years"); safe storage as parental love.

What already works

The TJP role: Course 3 (Safety) and Course 5 (The Unfinished Response) explain the body's fight response behind retaliation. A recorded "Before You Answer" message for HVIP programs, produced under SCDC media rules and delivered by the partner's staff at the bedside or in follow-up. Channels: 2, 1, 4. Partners: MUSC Turning the Tide, other SC trauma centers (verify), GVI programs. Audience: young men 16 to 30 recovering from violent injury.

Keystone idea: "Letters From the Other Side of the Shot." A set of five reviewed, anonymous letters from residents who retaliated, packaged for one SC hospital violence intervention program's case managers to use at their discretion, with a feedback form for case managers.

#5.7 Property Crime and Burglary

Typical path: boredom and no supervision; small shoplifting; peers dare; burglary for money or drugs; arrest; a record that blocks jobs, which pushes back toward theft.

Forks, earliest first: after-school hours (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.); a first shoplifting incident (diversion or record); substance use starting; first burglary charge (arbitration vs. court); a job after release.

Culture that allows it: "nobody gets hurt, they have insurance"; neglected, empty buildings and lots; seeing neighbors as strangers. Shift it: victim voices (burglary victims often describe lasting fear at home); neighborhood care; youth ownership of places.

What works: SC DJJ's arbitration program (diverted 5,640 first-time, nonviolent youth in FY2024; outcomes: verify locally); vacant lot greening (Philadelphia trial: 22 percent drop in burglaries); after-school programs like DJJ's Teen After-School Centers (served 7,799 youth; evidence on crime: Emerging, verify locally); restorative conferencing (Moderate).

TJP role: Course 10 (empathy) supports a written victim-perspective module for youth arbitration programs; Course 12 supports a "Care for the Corner" guide for church and neighborhood cleanups. Channels: 1, 3. Partners: solicitors' offices running arbitration, DJJ. Audience: first-time youth offenders in arbitration (through program staff).

Keystone idea: "Your Front Door, My Choice." A 2-session victim-perspective module adopted by one SC circuit's youth arbitration program, built with a victim-services reviewer.

#5.8 DUI and Vehicular Harm

Typical path: heavy drinking treated as normal; "I'm fine to drive"; no ride plan; a first DUI stop; repeat offense; a crash that kills or injures.

Forks, earliest first: family drinking norms seen by children; prom and graduation season; the first time riding with a drunk driver; the first DUI arrest (screening and treatment); ignition interlock period; release after felony DUI.

Culture that allows it: "everybody drives home after a few"; rural distances with no rides; friends who don't take keys. Shift it: make taking keys an act of friendship; residents serving time for DUI deaths speaking to groups (a powerful credible voice).

What works: ignition interlocks (Strong while installed: median 67 percent fewer re-arrests across 13 studies; effects fade after removal, per the Community Guide); SBIRT for alcohol (Moderate, USPSTF grade B). South Carolina's 39 percent alcohol-impaired share of traffic deaths (2023) makes this one of the state's clearest forks.

TJP role: Course 7 (Attention) and Course 9 (Identity) feed a recorded "The Drive Home" message for high school driver education and DUI education programs. Residents convicted of felony DUI are uniquely credible. Channels: 2, 3. Partners: SC Department of Public Safety highway safety office, MADD South Carolina (verify), DUI education programs (ADSAP, verify locally). Audience: teens in driver's education; people in DUI programs.

Keystone idea: "One Seat Empty." A 20-minute recorded module for one SC county's DUI education program, telling a resident's story (with victim-family consent where the victim is identifiable), with pre/post intentions measure.

#5.9 Sexual Violence Among Adults

Typical path: boys learn scripts that treat sex as conquest; alcohol used as cover; friends laugh along; a boundary is crossed; silence and victim-blaming; repeat behavior.

Forks, earliest first: middle school ideas about gender and respect; high school parties; college or military entry; the first time a friend laughs at a "joke" about coercion; the bystander moment at a party or bar.

Culture that allows it: victim-blaming ("what was she wearing"); treating consent as vague; male peer approval; institutions protecting reputations. Shift it: make consent clear, ordinary, and expected; give bystanders simple actions (Green Dot's "direct, distract, delegate"); men holding men accountable.

What works: Green Dot (Moderate, 26-school trial, over 50 percent less sexual violence perpetration); Coaching Boys Into Men (Moderate); Safe Dates (Moderate to Strong for sexual abuse perpetration in dating).

TJP role: Course 11 (NVC: asking, not taking) and Course 6 (shame and masculinity). A men's module inside first (Channel 4), then a written guide for men's ministries. Victim-services review mandatory. Partners: SCCADVASA, rape crisis centers, college prevention offices. Audience: men in reentry and men's ministry groups.

Keystone idea: "What Real Strength Asks." A 3-session men's group curriculum for one SC reentry or faith-based men's program, built with a rape crisis center, focused on consent and bystander courage.

#5.10 Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Prevention Level)

Typical path (protective view): a young person is isolated, often a runaway, in foster care, or without stable housing; someone offers care, a place to stay, or work; dependence grows; exploitation follows; shame keeps the person silent.

Forks, earliest first: housing instability and running away; aging out of foster care; the first adult who notices something wrong (a teacher, a hotel clerk, a small business neighbor); the first contact with police or a hospital.

Culture that allows it: treating exploited youth as offenders instead of victims; silence around sex and money; demand from buyers who never face the harm. Shift it: "see the child, not the charge"; educate hotel and small business workers (SC's top reported locations); address demand directly with men.

What works: awareness training for frontline workers (Emerging; widely used, little rigorous outcome evidence); housing and runaway services (Emerging); SC's investment of $6.5 million in residential programs for minor victims (2024 report) shows state commitment.

TJP role: TJP should not build youth-facing trafficking content. Its role is adult-facing: a Course 12 policy brief on housing instability as a fork; a demand-reduction module for men (Course 6, Course 10). Channels: 1, 4. Partners: the SC Attorney General's Human Trafficking Task Force, victim-service agencies. Audience: men inside; church leaders.

Keystone idea: "The Buyer Is the Market." A demand-reduction module for men in one SCDC unit, reviewed by the Task Force partner, with a PROOF line on attitude change measured by a validated scale chosen with a university partner.

#5.11 Fraud and Financial Exploitation of Elders

Typical path: an older adult is lonely or confused; a caller or "friend" builds trust; urgency and secrecy ("don't tell your kids"); money moves; shame keeps the victim quiet. Some exploitation comes from family members under money pressure or addiction.

Forks, earliest first: isolation of an elder; the first suspicious call; a family member's addiction or debt; the bank teller's moment of doubt.

Scale: The FBI's 2024 Internet Crime Report found people 60 and older suffered the most losses, nearly $5 billion, and filed the most complaints.

Culture that allows it: elders ashamed to admit they were fooled; families who don't talk about money; seeing scams as "not real crime." Shift it: make "hang up and call someone" normal; church-based check-in networks.

What works: bank and caregiver training, and elder check-in programs (Emerging).

TJP role: residents convicted of fraud know the scripts of pressure and trust. Their role is to name the warning signs (urgency, secrecy, unusual payment methods), never to teach methods. A Course 12 written guide for church senior ministries. Channels: 1, 3. Partners: Area Agencies on Aging, AARP South Carolina (verify), banks. Audience: senior adults and their families.

Keystone idea: "Hang Up, Call Up." A one-page warning-sign card and a 30-minute church talk script for one SC Area Agency on Aging region.

#5.12 School Violence and Bullying

Typical path: a child is excluded or bullied; adults miss or dismiss it; the child either withdraws or strikes back; suspension removes the child from school; the grudge grows; in rare cases, serious violence.

Forks, earliest first: classroom climate in early grades; the first bullying incident an adult sees; the first suspension; the student who "leaks" a threat to a peer (the bystander moment); return from suspension or DJJ.

Culture that allows it: "kids will be kids"; "snitching" rules among students; zero-tolerance discipline that removes instead of repairs. Shift it: make telling a trusted adult an act of protecting friends, not snitching; restorative practices to repair harm.

What works: anti-bullying programs overall (Moderate: a meta-analysis of 44 evaluations found about 20 percent less bullying and 17 to 20 percent less victimization); restorative practices (Mixed: a Pittsburgh randomized trial cut suspension days 36 percent vs. 18 percent in control schools but did not reduce violence or arrests and showed weaker middle-grade results); Good Behavior Game (Promising).

TJP role: Course 11 and Course 2 (restorative justice) feed recorded modules for middle school counselors. Course 12 supports a policy brief on alternatives to suspension. Channels: 2, 1. Partners: school districts, SC Department of Education (verify), school counselor associations. Audience: middle school counselors and their students.

Keystone idea: "The Return Conference." A restorative re-entry meeting guide for students returning from suspension, piloted in one SC middle school with counselor delivery.

#5.13 Animal Cruelty as a Warning Sign

Why it is here: Researchers and the FBI treat animal cruelty as a serious crime and a signal: in many homes where animals are harmed, people are harmed too (see Further Study). It is a fork where children and families can be reached early.

Forks: a child hurting animals (a signal of distress, not a label); a home where pets are threatened as control in domestic violence; a DV victim who will not leave because of a pet.

Culture that allows it: "it's just a dog"; animals as property only. Shift it: teach that cruelty to animals is a red flag worth caring about; pet-friendly shelters.

What works: "the Link" cross-reporting between animal control, child welfare, and DV services (Emerging); pet-inclusive DV shelters (Emerging).

TJP role: Course 10 (de Waal on empathy across species) supports a written guide for animal control and DV partners. Channels: 1. Partners: humane societies, DV shelters. Audience: animal control officers, DV advocates.

Keystone idea: A "See the Link" one-page cross-referral guide for one SC county's animal control office and DV shelter.

#5.14 Other Significant Categories

#Part 6: The Top 15 Forks

#Part 7: Thirty Quick-Start Pilots for the First Two Years

Each idea below is small enough to ADOPT in one course cycle (weeks 7 to 9 build and pilot). Each needs a PROOF line written before building and Interdepartmental Committee approval before any product leaves the Task Force. Reminder: residents never contact minors directly; all youth work goes through partners.

#Part 8: The Idea Engine (So TJP Never Runs Out)

#The five doors ideas come through

#The Fork Log

One sheet (Worksheet 3) or one tab in the TJP Evidence Workbook. Every idea gets a line: date, door, fork, stage, harm category, possible partner, and status (New, Studying, Pitched, Piloting, Adopted, Parked).

#The Idea Engine rhythm (tied to the TJP Meeting Rhythm)

#Four prompts that always produce new ideas

1. "Walk it backward." Take any harm and ask "what happened just before that?" five times (the Five Whys in reverse time).
2. "Who else was standing there?" At every fork, list every adult who was nearby. Each is a possible audience.
3. "What would the sign say?" If this fork had a road sign, what would it say? That sentence is often the core of a product.
4. "Which course speaks here?" Run the fork past all 13 courses. At least one always fits.

#Part 9: Why TJP Must Exist

#Part 10: Signs for the Dorm

#Worksheet 1: Fork Finder

Name or initials (optional): Date:

Instructions: Think about the road that led you here. You do not need to describe anything that happened in detail. Just name the forks: moments when things could have gone another way.

Which fork, if any, felt like the biggest?

What was the culture around you saying at that fork? (a rule, a code, a saying)

A protective factor I did have (a person, a place, a skill):

If I could put one sign at that fork, it would say:

May a staff member discuss using the fork (not the details) in the Fork Log? Yes / No / Ask me later

Signature (only if Yes): Staff witness:

#Worksheet 2: Intervention Point Analysis

Team: Date: Harm category:

1. The fork (one sentence):

2. PATHS tags

3. The typical path to this fork (4 to 7 steps)

4. Who is standing at the fork?

5. What already works here (name, evidence rating, source)?

6. TJP fit

7. Leverage (1 to 5): Feasibility (1 to 5):

8. Draft PROOF line: Problem Number Result Number Observer On this date Fail Line

#Worksheet 3: Idea Engine Log (The Fork Log)

Month: Keeper:

Doors: N = Narrative (consented) / V = Visitor / P = Partner request / D = Data / R = Resident or staff Status: New / Studying / Pitched / Piloting / Adopted / Parked

Tactical review done (date and initials):

Sent to Strategic "Forks" meeting (list line numbers):

#Worksheet 4: Keystone Idea Pitch

Team members (3 to 5):

Title of our idea:

1. The one real, bounded South Carolina harm (who, where, when, how):

2. The fork we are targeting and why it is early enough to matter:

3. The culture we want to shift (the H in PATHS):

4. The evidence behind our approach (name, rating, source):

5. The product, in one breath (LESS test):

6. PROOF line (written BEFORE building)

7. What could go wrong, and our safeguard:

Approvals: Interdepartmental Committee Date Board of Volunteers Date

#Further Study

• Donella Meadows, "Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System" (1999) and Thinking in Systems (2008). The source of the ladder in Part 2. Core to Course 12.
• Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development (University of Colorado). A registry that rates youth programs as Promising, Model, or Model Plus. The best single place to check a program's evidence.
• CrimeSolutions (National Institute of Justice). Rates programs as Effective, Promising, or No Effects. Staff can print program profiles.
• California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC). Ratings for parenting and child-protection programs, including Circle of Security.
• CDC, "Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences" and the ACEs prevention resources. Plain-language strategies for families and communities.
• Annie E. Casey Foundation, A Shared Sentence (2016). The case for supporting children of incarcerated parents. Essential for pilots 2, 3, 12, 26, and 27.
• Heller et al., "Thinking, Fast and Slow? Some Field Experiments to Reduce Crime and Dropout in Chicago," Quarterly Journal of Economics (2017). The Becoming a Man trials. Connects to Courses 1 and 7.
• David Kennedy, Don't Shoot (2011). The story behind Group Violence Intervention, written by its founder.
• James Gilligan, Violence: Reflections on a National Epidemic (1996). Shame as the engine of violence. Core to Course 6.
• Gabor Maté, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts (2008). Addiction as a response to pain. Core to Course 8 and the family addiction pilots.
• Howard Zehr, The Little Book of Restorative Justice (2002, revised 2015). Short and clear. Core to Course 2 and the school pilots.
• Lawrence Sherman and Heather Strang, Restorative Justice: The Evidence (2007). A careful review of restorative conferencing results.
• Violence Policy Center, When Men Murder Women (annual). Staff can check the current edition each October (Domestic Violence Awareness Month).
• South Carolina Department of Public Health, annual Drug Overdose Report. Bring in the new edition each year for the Fork Log's Data door.
• Darkness to Light (Charleston, SC), Stewards of Children. A South Carolina-born program for adults; a natural partner for the Safe Church Starter Kit.
• National Link Coalition materials on the link between animal cruelty and human violence (verify current publications).

#Sources

All numbers in this document were checked against these sources in September 2026. Staff should re-verify before any public use.

1. Violence Policy Center. "South Carolina Ranks #11 in Rate of Women Murdered by Men." Press release on When Men Murder Women (2020 edition, 2018 data). vpc.org
2. Violence Policy Center. "South Carolina's History of Deadly Violence Against Women" (October 2024). vpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WMMW-SC-final.pdf
3. Violence Policy Center. When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2023 Homicide Data (September 2025). vpc.org/studies/wmmw2025.pdf
4. Violence Policy Center. "State Firearm Death Rates, Ranked by Rate, 2023." vpc.org
5. South Carolina Department of Public Health. Drug Overdose Deaths Report 2024 (prepared June 2026) and news release "DPH Reports Continued Decline in Overdose Deaths" (July 8, 2026). dph.sc.gov
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. "South Carolina" state statistics page (2024 firearm, overdose, and homicide rates). cdc.gov/nchs/state-stats/states/sc.html
7. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. State Alcohol-Impaired-Driving Estimates: 2023 Data (DOT HS 813 726). crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov
8. South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. 2024 Annual Accountability Report (Agency Code N120). scstatehouse.gov/reports/aar2024/N120.pdf
9. ACLU of South Carolina. "New report exposes dangerous conditions, widening inequality in S.C. juvenile justice system" (Youth Behind the Fence, September 9, 2026). aclusc.org
10. Education Week. "Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down South Carolina's 'Disturbing Schools' Law" (February 2023); Kenny v. Wilson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, No. 21-2166 (2023).
11. South Carolina Attorney General. "Attorney General Alan Wilson releases 2024 SC Human Trafficking Task Force Annual Report" (January 2025). scag.gov
12. Letourneau, E., et al. "Initial Assessment of Stewards of Children Program Effects on Child Sexual Abuse Reporting Rates in Selected South Carolina Counties." Child Maltreatment (2016). PMC4870719
13. CrimeSolutions (NIJ). Program profiles: Stewards of Children (Promising); Safe Dates (Effective); Good Behavior Game (Promising). crimesolutions.ojp.gov
14. Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). "Randomized Evaluation of the Nurse Family Partnership in South Carolina"; McConnell, M., et al., JAMA (2022).
15. Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development. Program pages: Nurse-Family Partnership (Model); Multisystemic Therapy (Model Plus); Functional Family Therapy (Promising); Communities That Care (Promising); Good Behavior Game (Promising). blueprintsprograms.org
16. MUSC Health. "Turning the Tide Violence Intervention Program (TTVIP)." muschealth.org
17. CDC. "Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences Among U.S. Adults, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2011 to 2020." MMWR 72(26), 2023.
18. Annie E. Casey Foundation. A Shared Sentence: The Devastating Toll of Parental Incarceration on Kids, Families and Communities (2016). aecf.org
19. University of Chicago Crime Lab. "Becoming a Man (BAM)" project page; Heller, S., et al., Quarterly Journal of Economics 132(1), 2017.
20. Braga, A., Weisburd, D., and Turchan, B. "Focused Deterrence Strategies and Crime Control: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." Criminology and Public Policy (2018); Campbell Collaboration summary, cebcp.org.
21. County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, What Works for Health. "Cure Violence Model" (rated Mixed Evidence). countyhealthrankings.org
22. Urban Institute. Arches Transformative Mentoring Program: An Implementation and Impact Evaluation in New York City (2018). urban.org
23. Coker, A., et al. "RCT Testing Bystander Effectiveness to Reduce Violence" (Green Dot), American Journal of Preventive Medicine (2017); University of Kentucky, UKNow summary.
24. Miller, E., et al. "'Coaching Boys into Men': A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of a Dating Violence Prevention Program." Journal of Adolescent Health (2012), and one-year follow-up (2013).
25. Collins, S., Lonczak, H., and Clifasefi, S. "Seattle's Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD): Program Effects on Recidivism Outcomes." Evaluation and Program Planning (2017); summary at cebcp.org.
26. National Institute of Justice. The Multi-Site Adult Drug Court Evaluation: Executive Summary. nij.ojp.gov
27. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. "Unhealthy Alcohol Use in Adolescents and Adults: Screening and Behavioral Counseling Interventions" (Grade B for adults).
28. The Community Guide (Community Preventive Services Task Force). "Motor Vehicle Injury, Alcohol-Impaired Driving: Ignition Interlocks."
29. Branas, C., et al. "Citywide Cluster Randomized Trial to Restore Blighted Vacant Land and Its Effects on Violence, Crime, and Fear." PNAS (2018); Columbia Mailman School of Public Health summary.
30. Ttofi, M., and Farrington, D. School-Based Programs to Reduce Bullying and Victimization (Campbell review, 2009; NIJ); Journal of Experimental Criminology (2011).
31. Augustine, C., et al. Can Restorative Practices Improve School Climate and Curb Suspensions? RAND Corporation (2018); RAND Research Brief RB10051.
32. California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare. "Circle of Security Parenting" (Scientific Rating 3). cebc4cw.org
33. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Complaint Center. 2024 Internet Crime Report and FBI press release. fbi.gov
34. Public/Private Ventures. Making a Difference: An Impact Study of Big Brothers/Big Sisters (1995). ERIC ED390973.
35. Heller, S. "Summer Jobs Reduce Violence Among Disadvantaged Youth." Science 346 (2014). (One Summer Chicago Plus.)
36. Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma. "Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs in the United States and Canada: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Practice Management Guideline" (2026 update). Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery.