Jun. 24—PLATTSBURGH — The Clinton County Youth Court docket is on the lookout for youths for an upcoming new member coaching.
Youths in grades 7-12 can change into a member of a court docket that tries actual circumstances for juveniles who’ve dedicated offenses inside the group.
“The Clinton County Youth Court docket Program is a diversionary program for first time offending juveniles (ages 13-17) that sort of make a mistake in the neighborhood,” Christopher Wiley, youth coordinator, mentioned.
“The Youth Court docket is an precise courtroom that’s made up of youth from all around the county. I’ve members from each faculty, and so they really strive actual circumstances for his or her friends. They fulfill all roles of the courtroom, so the decide, attorneys, the jury, the court docket bailiff, they’re all youth.”
The Court docket accepts violations, misdemeanors, and low-level felonies. Youth Court docket has tried offenses comparable to however not restricted to: petit and grand larceny, housebreaking, felony mischief, vandalism, and harassment, in accordance with a press launch.
Non-criminal circumstances are additionally taken into this system if deemed acceptable by Wiley.
To be eligible for this system, the youth should admit to the offense. If the case is accepted into this system, a listening to is held through which educated youth, often known as Youth Court docket Members, fill courtroom roles comparable to protection and prosecuting attorneys, decide, clerk/bailiff, and jury members.
On the finish of the listening to, the jury members decide an acceptable sentence for the offending youth based mostly on the data introduced. The purpose of this system is to forestall delinquency via optimistic peer affect.
This system has been in existence because the early ’90s.
“Youth courts are nationwide,” Wiley mentioned.
“They’re all throughout New York State. Not all counties have Youth Courts. I believe the closest one to us is Warren County.”
Up to now, the Youth Court docket has tried 20 circumstances this 12 months.
SENTENCE
A Youth Court docket sentence at all times consists of wherever between 5 and 25 hours of group service and one to 2 jury duties.
The sentence may additionally embrace:
—Letters of Apology
—Essay Task
—Instructional Courses (i.e. Peer Stress, Anger Administration, Alcohol Schooling,
Vaping/Smoking Schooling.)
The Youth Court docket Coordinator may additionally implement different restorative programming in the event that they really feel it essential.
All group service hours are scheduled and carried out with the Mission Coordinator. Hours are scheduled after faculty on week nights and on Saturdays. Group service hours are sometimes accomplished with Members and Offenders working collectively on initiatives.
Examples of group companies websites embrace: The Salvation Military, St. Joseph’s Group Outreach Heart, JCEO, Samuel F. Vilas House. Youth Court docket additionally attends occasions all year long comparable to Hospice Gentle Up a Life, quite a few Youth Bureau occasions. In the summertime, Youth Court docket additionally has backyard plots the place they plant and develop produce that’s donated to native meals pantries.
Very often Youth Court docket will be seen strolling across the Metropolis of Plattsburgh and the parks choosing up trash.
TO JOIN
Youth Court docket members are Clinton County youth in grades 7-12 who’ve attended a a number of day youth court docket coaching. As soon as educated, youth are a part of a pool of Youth Court docket members from all faculty districts inside Clinton County. Youth from this pool are assigned to hearings by the Mission Coordinator.
Members run the courtroom by filling all the roles together with clerk/ bailiff, decide, prosecuting lawyer, protection lawyer, jury foreperson and juror.
Youth should be keen to make a voluntary dedication to this system for one 12 months. Moreover taking part in hearings, members are required to take part in at the least 5 Youth Court docket sponsored group companies actions a 12 months.
Via coaching and taking part in this system members develop:
—Public talking and presentation abilities
—Particular person and group determination making abilities
—An understanding of their civic tasks
—Data of the felony and juvenile justice techniques
All time spent taking part within the Clinton County Youth Court docket Program is a service to the
group. The Mission Coordinator preserve an in depth log of all occasions, hearings and conferences attended by every member. At any time, a member can request their group service hours that can be utilized in the direction of different golf equipment (Key Membership, Nationwide Honor Society, and so forth.) in addition to any faculty courses that require group service hours.
“They simply have to enroll,” Wiley mentioned.
“There’s an utility. I ship all the data out to colleges. There’s a hyperlink on our Fb web page that can carry the youngsters over to a web-based utility. It is only a Google type. They’ll fill it out, and as quickly as they submit it, it will get emailed to me. They’ll additionally electronic mail me for an utility or they will swing by the workplace.”
The workplace is situated on the second flooring of the Surrogate Constructing, situated at 135 Margaret St., Plattsburgh.
“The doorways says Youth Court docket and Youth Bureau, as a result of I’m a part of the Youth Bureau,” Wiley mentioned.
“I do two trainings a 12 months. I at all times do one within the winter and that one is normally slightly bit extra extensively attended. It is normally a two-day coaching, generally I can one actually, lengthy day. The trainings are fairly so the members actually absolutely perceive what this system is, what it seems to be like, and a variety of info on the juvenile justice system in order that they sort of perceive all the things as a result of all of the youths that undergo my program are referred to me normally from legislation enforcement or Probation.”
Christopher.wiley@clintoncountyny.gov
E-mail: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com
Twitter@RobinCaudell