AG Moody and Urban League Launch Program to Help Young Victims of Crime Thrive

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody and the Florida Consortium of Urban League Affiliates announced a new program to help young victims of crime thrive. The new public service program, Thrive, is administered through four local Urban Leagues in areas of Florida heavily affected by crime—particularly violent crime involving teens and young adults. Through Thrive, the Florida Attorney General’s Office is providing federal funding for victim advocates and crime victim services for Floridians affected by criminal activity, such as assault, bullying, domestic violence and gang activity.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “It is heart breaking any time a child is victimized by criminal behavior, especially if no one is there to help them along the road to recovery. As a former judge, I have seen young people with promising futures victimized over and over again and, in some incidences, turn to crime themselves.

“We developed Thrive to help meet the needs of these Floridians living in areas of the state with above average criminal behavior. By working with the Urban League, we hope this innovative program will better support young victims of crime through a hands-on, more-engaged approach to recovery with thoughtful guidance.”

Urban League of Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) President and CEO Dr. Germaine Smith-Baugh said, “The Florida Consortium of Urban Leagues is proud to champion this initiative with the Florida Attorney General’s Office. Thrive, as a victim’s advocacy and support statewide initiative, offers healing and systemic change within underserved communities, and the Urban League exists as a nucleus for that change. We are committed to empowering individuals with transformative solutions to create stronger, safer, and more viable communities.”

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, perpetrators of violence tend to have a history of domestic and family violence. Children who witness intimate partner violence growing up are three times as likely as their peers to engage in violent behavior. Another study, cited in a December 2020 U.S. Department of Justice Report, found that 75% of children who witness domestic violence will grow up to repeat the same behavior. The same study found that if one person in the family chooses to use violence, within four generations, 18 people will continue the cycle.

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