__________________________________________Ask the DA

A thirteen-year-old boy has a problem controlling his anger. He is constantly getting into fights and eventually is arrested and charged with a crime. What can be done to keep this boy out of a juvenile detention center and to steer him away from a potential life of crime?
   

In Brooklyn, one of the weapons in the arsenal we use to combat crimes committed by young people is a program called “Youth and Congregations in Partnership” (YCP). YCP is an intervention program for court-involved youth which matches troubled kids with positive mentors and role models within the Brooklyn faith communities.

In order to participate, an eligible youth must be 13-22 years of age, have no pattern of violent offenses, and no major psychiatric disturbance. The first step would be to evaluate this boy based on his contacts with the criminal justice system and his personal, family and environmental circumstances. A thorough psychosocial assessment would be performed by a social worker in order to determine his individual needs.

If selected to participate in YCP he would have access to a number of excellent opportunities, including mentoring, mental health services, career planning and educational programs. Mentoring services are provided by members of the faith community who volunteer their time to work with our youth.  The program provides direct services and also partners with various community organizations who provide the young person with career planning, GED classes, job skills training, and job placement. Our community service program, ARTSHARE, allows YCP participants the opportunity to design and create murals for community buildings. Another of our programs, Trauma Troopers, provides EMT training, CPR and first aid courses. YCP also provides cultural, educational and recreational excursions. Stipends are sometimes provided for work-related and community service projects and activities.

After satisfactory completion of the YCP program, the youth is in most cases discharged and the court records are sealed. In some instances, the case against the youth is dismissed. However, should the youth be rearrested or persistently fail to cooperate with the YCP program during the monitoring period, he or she is returned to court. The judge could then decide that the youth has violated the program, in which case additional sanctions could be meted out.
 

Since 1997, 300 young people have been served by YCP. Many of those who have graduated from the program have gone on to college and some are enrolled in vocational training programs. Others are working and supporting themselves. Most importantly, 81.5% of YCP graduates will not return to the criminal justice system. Currently, there are 35 youths participating in the program.

For more information on my office’s Trial Zones, please visit the office’s Web site at www.brooklynda.org. To have your questions answered in a future column, send them to asktheda@brooklynda.org.