Winnebago County State’s Attorney, Joe Bruscato (seated at computer) meets with his staff (from left) Assistant SA, David Smith; Assistant SA, Patrick Gibson and Deputy SA, Jim Brun. (Photo by Lynne Conner/for Chronicle Media)

Winnebago County State’s Attorney Joe Bruscato grew up in Rockford hearing a lot about “maximizing opportunity in life.”

This advice from his parents has served him well as the county’s top prosecutor and has become the foundation for various outreach programs Bruscato supports. Maximizing opportunities for youth through strong families and community initiatives, Bruscato feels, is a big step in preventing youth crime.

“Maximizing opportunity in life,” Bruscato said, “happens on a couple of levels; … the most important is education. Max out your educational opportunities, because the more education you get, the more opportunities you have from an employment and career standpoint.”

Bruscato also warns young people about negative behaviors that minimize their future options.

“Don’t engage in activities or make bad judgments or bad decisions that are going to hold you back in life,” he said. “If you get in trouble with the law, that’s going to reduce the number of opportunities you have in life. Making good decisions in life, developing a good reputation, avoiding things that are detrimental; such as having a criminal record, along with maximizing education … help you maximize your opportunities in life.”

Officer Rich Campion offers a snack to kids at the RPD’s summer Safety Camp. (Photo by Lynne Conner/for Chronicle Media)

Fostering these positive behaviors in a child’s life, Bruscato contends, begins at home with involved parents. “Statistics show us that you are 50 percent more likely to get involved in crime if you grow up in a household that is detrimental to your upbringing or in a household where parents have poor parenting skills or lack parenting skills. The converse is therefore true. You are 50 percent less likely to (get involved in crime) if you grow up in a home where there are parents who have considerable parenting skills … and they are making use of those skills,” he said.

According to Bruscato, involved parents are active in all areas of their child’s or teenager’s life including their education, their health, their moral formation, how they treat their peers and how they treat authority figures such as teachers and law enforcement officers.

Bruscato advocates getting to know your child’s or teen’s friends, knowing where your child is and who is with them.

RPD Officers Courtney Tillmon & Jeff Oberts supervise kids in the bounce house at the RPD’s summer Safety Camp. (Photo by Lynne Conner/for Chronicle Media)

“One of the areas where I think some parents fail is that they see themselves in a role of being their children’s pal rather than a parent,” he said. “As parents, we need to be engaged and we need to be parents, not a buddy, not a pal … you’re not trying to win a popularity contest with your kids and their friends.”

For those who find themselves struggling in the role of parent, Bruscato’s office can provide resources and help.

“As state’s attorney, I’ve been very active in supporting legislation that funds the assistance of young parents and those who are ‘at-risk parents.’ This would include parents who become parents too young or become parents with very little parenting skills.

“All of this results in children who don’t have … the opportunities you would have in a household where proper parenting exists. We are building adults, we are creating adults, we are teaching our children how to be adults and children don’t have those skills on their own … If we haven’t taught them how to act as adults, they can’t make good decisions because nobody has given them that knowledge and skill set.”

Rockford Police Dept. Officer Courntey Tillmon plays basketball with kids at the RPD’s summer Safety Camp. (Photo by Lynne Conner/for Chronicle Media)

School-aged children and teens can also benefit from resources offered by the state’s attorney’s office. “Through our Alternative Justice and Outreach Unit, headed by Katie Zimmerman, we reach out to schools and offer ourselves as presenters on subjects like bullying, drug and alcohol prevention and other subjects that would help young people make good choices and maximize their opportunities,” Bruscato said.

Through these outreach programs and by supporting other community service agencies such as Rock House Kids, Rosie’s Birthday Club, the Rockford Park District, the YMCA, the Northwest Community Center and the YES Club, Bruscato sees his office as a vital part of youth crime prevention.

“The state’s attorney has a very affirmative, positive role in (crime) prevention. Not a passive role … . I think we are actively responsible for engaging in crime prevention. Every year that goes by, we are finding better and more innovative practices to help with this prevention process.”

By partnering with parents, schools and community service organizations, the State’s Attorney is aiming to be proactive in deterring juvenile crime.

Rockford Police Dept. Officer Courntey Tillmon plays basketball with kids at the RPD’s summer Safety Camp. (Photo by Lynne Conner/for Chronicle Media)

Our goal as prosecutors should focus on crime prevention because then we never reach the point where we need to engage in a prosecution,” he said.

Bruscato recalled a quote that sums up what his office is striving toward, “A crime prevented is more important than a crime successfully prosecuted.”

— Winnebago state’s attorney aims to nip crime in the bud —