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Crime & Safety

Court-Diversionary Program for Juveniles Gets OK

Local Youth Aid Panel expected to be set up within two months.

The Board of Supervisors has unanimously approved the re-establishment of a local panel that Police Chief Ron MacPherson says will incur no cost but could be very valuable to young people in trouble.

The Youth Aid Panel is a court-diversionary program for first-time offenders who admit their guilt, the chief explained to the supervisors at their Feb. 15 meeting. If a juvenile abides by the panel's recommendations and stays out of trouble for a certain period of time, anywhere from a month to a year, their record is expunged, the chief added.

“So what it's really doing is giving juveniles a second chance,” he said.

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Juveniles facing summary or felony charges would be eligible. But MacPherson said Thursday that doesn't mean serious criminals will be avoiding prosecution.

“Those with felonies would have to approved by myself. Obviously they would be minor in nature. Someone charged with a sexual assault or armed robbery is certainly not going to be in front of the Youth Aid Panel,” he said.

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MacPherson told the supervisors that several people have applied to be on the panel but he does not want to release their names until they undergo training and get through their background checks. He said the panel, which would likely meet quarterly, would be comprised of a liabilities claim examiner, social worker, domestic violence advocate and two local business owners.

Four of the five live in the township, while one owns a township business, the chief said Thursday.

They might recommend community service, drug and alcohol services, an apology letter, essay writing and even check the juveniles' report cards. In addition, a youngster might be required to attend a session of district court to see the adjudication of others charged with crimes.

“This is not meant as punishment; it is meant to help the juvenile so hopefully there's no recidivism,” the chief said.

“It has had about a 95 percent success (in Bucks County), where juveniles are not arrested again,” he added.

The chief explained to the supervisors that the program was begun in Bucks County (Warrington) in 1977, and that local panels are overseen by the Bucks County Juvenile Court. Since the first panel was created, the program has expanded to 21 countywide, according to the program website.

On Thursday, MacPherson said the panel in Upper Southampton was disbanded in the early 2000s. He said the new local panel is expected to be set up within the next two months, after the training of the panel members at the Bucks County Municipal Training Center in Doylestown by a police officer from Warrington. There is no cost for that training, he said.

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