‘Alternative justice’ program run by the Y helps teens who get into trouble with the law.
School is out. Teenagers have time on their hands and the temperature is rising.
Hot weather has been known to trigger impetuous behaviour and a young person’s bad decision — be it petty theft, drug abuse, assault or uttering threats — can result in a trip to youth court and/ or a Centre Jeunesse or a Batshaw Youth and Family Centre.
The next step, if the teen is from the West Island, most often is a referral to the Impact program run out of the West Island YMCA.
Impact is an “alternative justice program” that matches young offenders with volunteer activities in the community and, when possible and appropriate, brings the victim and the young offender together so that both sides can come to terms with what has oc- curred through mediation.
In 2013, the five-member Impact staff handled 215 referrals.
“Repair and reintegration are the two words that sum up what we aim to do with Impact,” Impact co-ordinator Jean Laurent said.
The repair part often proves to be the most difficult. Laurent said only about 10 per cent of the files they handle involve victim/offender mediation. (Keep in mind that some crimes are victimless.)
Offences range from spraying graffiti to, on the very rare occasion, sexual assault.
Impact manages a young offender’s file for anywhere from one month to four months, depending on the number of community hours to be served or workshops in anger management or conflict resolution to be completed.
The number of communityservice hours recommended can range from five hours for a teen with no previous record who is caught smoking a joint to 240 hours for a repeat offender who has appeared before the court.
The idea is to prevent a youngster from reoffending by helping him or her become a useful, engaged member of the community. Early intervention is key.
“It’s human nature,” youth worker Pascal Menard said. “If you can get away with something, like smoking a joint every night, why bother changing your behaviour? You don’t think about the laws or the impact on your health.”
“If the child is 12, you have time to work on things,” YMCA Community Initiatives director Dina Souleiman said. “There are often hiccups along the way (further offences), so if you don’t meet the child until they are 16 or 17, the crimes may have escalated and the consequences are more serious and you don’t have as much time to work with them before they turn 18 and enter into the adult court system.”
Impact has forged a relationship with more than 30 non-profit organizations where young offenders can go to their community service. The volunteer work could be anything from helping out with an after-school homework program, to light manual labour, to taking a senior with mobility challenges for a walk.
Young offenders are supervised on the job and Impact receives a report from the supervisor about the teen’s job performance.
Laurent said it can be a challenge to find new organizations willing to help with the reintegration process. He said it’s important to understand that offering a young offender an opportunity helps all those involved.
“The organization helps the young offender feel part of the community and the young offender helps the community with his volunteer work,” Laurent said.
Support from family members during the handling of a file can also be helpful, but Menard said only around 25 per cent of youngsters have family who are actively involved in the “repair and reintegration” process.
“We are passionate about what we do, but we can only go so far,” Laurent said. “We can supervise, suggest and report.”
The report from Impact about a young offender’s attitude and work performance helps shape future decisions made in youth court or by the youth agency.
“We want (the children) to spend meaningful time with us,” Souleiman said. “We want it to be a learning experience.”