Juvenile offenders get second chance
NORRISTOWN A restorative justice program in Montgomery County provided nearly 500 juvenile offenders a second chance to maintain an unblemished record during 2019, according to statistics provided by the district attorney’s office.
A total of 489 youths were referred by 33 police departments to the district attorney’s Youth Aid Panel program in 2019, according to an annual report published last week by District Attorney Kevin R. Steele. According to statistics regarding the recidivism rate, only 3.5 percent of the youths ended up being referred to juvenile court for a new offense within one year of their completion of the alternative punishment program.
The youths paid $5,835 in restitution last year to those harmed by their crimes. The juveniles also completed 2,304 hours of community service during 2019.
Under the alternative punishment program, eligible juvenile offenders who commit minor offenses have to complete the recommendations made by a local youth aid panel in order to escape formal charges in county juvenile court. The program gives juveniles who commit nonviolent offenses a second chance, helping them avoid an arrest or a juvenile criminal record.
The youth aid panels, composed of citizen volunteers, can recommend punishments that include home detention, restitution and community service. Panels can monitor a juvenile’s school records, curfew compliance and seek reports from parents about a juvenile’s behavior.
A written resolution is developed which provides consequences for the juvenile’s action, with the hope it helps them make better decisions in the future. Resolutions can include educational support services, such as drug & alcohol addiction education, anger management counseling, community service assignments and restitution.
Recently, the Abington Police Department conducted a “Street Survival” program for juveniles in the program, teaching them good decision-making skills.
Each juvenile’s progress is supervised through a weekly phone call with an assigned Youth Aid Panel member.
If a juvenile doesn’t comply with the panel’s recommendations, then the police department can file formal charges with juvenile court.
Juveniles are referred by local police departments to a local panel. Local police departments have the discretion to decide which juvenile offenders should be enrolled in the program.
Currently, there are 42 Youth Aid Panels scattered throughout the county and each is staffed by trained adult volunteers. In 2019, there were 260 panel volunteers, officials said. Volunteers undergo a criminal record and child abuse history check before they are appointed to the panels.
Steele said the program, established in 2000, has been extremely successful in helping a total of 10,049 youths since its inception, with an average of 525 juveniles involved in the program each year.
Previously, officials have said the program is beneficial to juveniles and victims.
Victims receive restitution through the program and often receive letters of apology from offenders. Furthermore, under a victim/offender conferencing program, victims, with the support of a mediator, can have productive conversations with the juveniles who harmed them. Supporters of the program claim juveniles leave such meetings with a sense of the harm and the importance of taking responsibility for one’s actions.
A benefit to police departments is that the program allows law enforcement to focus attention on more serious crimes. The program can also decrease the number of cases filed in the juvenile court system.