Crime impacts every resident of Philadelphia. Students at Franklin Towne Charter High School have resolved to do their part to reduce the impact of crime in their community.
Franklin Towne Charter and its Towne Criminal Justice Department will hold a student-run crime symposium on Jan. 17, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The event will showcase research, by the department’s students, conducted of unique crime trends in Philadelphia. The students examined the effectiveness of grants dedicated to reducing crime. Finally, the students themselves offer initiatives that could further reduce crime.
The date and subject of the symposium are the result of two factors close to the hearts of Franklin Towne students.
Jan. 17 is Benjamin Franklin’s birthday. The school’s patron was among the first to advocate reform in the criminal justice system. Franklin was a founder of the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons. Now known as the Pennsylvania Prison Society, it is the oldest organization in the country dedicated to what it claims is sensible and humane criminal justice.
The symposium is especially significant to the Towne community after losing 2022 graduate Isaiah Pagan in a shooting inside a mini-mart on the 5200 block of Oxford Ave. on Dec. 20. Pagan was a member of the baseball team who was described as being admired by both his peers and the staff for his personality and sense of humor.
The event will be held on Jan. 17 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. More information is available at Franklintowne.org. ••
