Multimedios

John Legend is on a mission to transform America's criminal justice system. Through his Free America campaign, he's encouraging rehabilitation and healing in our prisons, jails and detention centers -- and giving hope to those who want to create a better life after serving their time. With a spoken-word prelude from James Cavitt, an inmate at San Quentin State Prison, Legend treats us to his version of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song." "Won't you help to sing these songs of freedom?"

Are you setting out to change the world? Here's a stat you should know: nonviolent campaigns are 100 percent more likely to succeed than violent ones. So why don't more groups use nonviolence when faced with conflict? Filmmaker Julia Bacha shares stories of effective nonviolent resistance, including eye-opening research on the crucial leadership role that women play.

As the mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani was a proponent of a controversial policing philosophy known as "broken windows." It calls for police to go after small crimes, in hopes of preventing bigger problems.

Youth violence rates around the country have been decreasing in recent years, but violent crimes are still most concentrated in poorer, urban neighborhoods. Experts say kids who grow up in dangerous areas are more likely to become targets.

In Chicago, a program called CeaseFire is working to curb violence by helping at-risk youth find employment and patrolling the streets to stop crimes before they happen.

De las intervenciones posibles para la prevención de la violencia juvenil, aquellas relacionadas al desarrollo de habilidades para la vida, en particular a través de programas de desarrollo social, son las únicas que han probado hasta el momento a través de evidencia científica sólida (múltiples ensayos controlados aleatorios con poblaciones diferentes) tener algún tipo de efectividad para prevenir la violencia.

En el ámbito curricular, estas intervenciones se basan en el desarrollo del llamado aprendizaje social y emocional, un proceso educativo de aprendizaje de estas habilidades que incluye saber lidiar con uno mismo, reconociendo emociones y aprendiendo a manejarlas, y con los demás, desarrollando simpatía y empatía con el prójimo y manteniendo relaciones positivas, aprendiendo a la vez a enfrentar situaciones específicas de modo constructivo y ético.