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Anna Mehler Paperny

This article was published more than 10 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.

Follow the child's story below and read how services could have worked together to improve his situation. Also read the related story on a program in Prince Albert, Sask., which is becoming a model for other cities.

Legend

Change
of home

Alcohol

Violence

Charges
laid

Jail

Joe is born

At age 18, Joe will be convicted of second-degree murder, accused of stabbing another boy to death.

Joe's name isn't real – police changed it to protect his privacy. But the story is. Prince Albert Police use it to illustrate their strategy.

This timeline traces a Joe's run-ins with police and social services through a violent childhood marked by domestic violence, alcoholism and abuse. It also shows where police, social services and schools could have intervened to change the course of Joe's life.

Interactive by Stuart A. Thompson
Sources: Tim Smith/Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police; Prince Albert Police Service