Op-ed: Summer jobs for youth can curb violence. Chicago business leaders, start hiring.

Research shows that summer jobs are a powerful tool to mitigate challenges facing youth. Across many cities, summer jobs programs substantially reduce exposure to the criminal justice system. Studies find that, among participants, arrests for violent crime are up to 40% lower than if they didn’t participate. Avoiding these bad outcomes is critical for youth to graduate from high school, go on to college, or build skills toward a career. And based on surveys, a majority of summer jobs participants reinvests their earnings in the local community, either by financially supporting their families or by spending at local businesses.

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