Red Hook Tests a New Program to Prevent Teenage Involvement in Criminal Court

The Justice Center has been chosen by the State to implement a new pilot project for teen offenders. The new program, the Adolescent Diversion Part or ADP, will provide assessments, alternative sanctions, and clinical services for youth offenders 16 - 17 years old. The Red Hook Star Review recently interviewed, Red Hook's project director, Julian Adler about the new project. You can read the full article here, "Justice Program to test program to keep kids from serving time".

Currently, New York State treats anyone accused of committing a crime 16 and over as an adult and we are one of the last state's in the country to do so. In these cases, teens can end up in adult prisons and with adult criminal records. Most often, teens are not offered the services and structure they need to avoid future involvement with the justice system. In almost all other states, the age of criminality starts at 18. This pilot will start this month and will run at 9 other sites across the state, including the Midtown Community Court.

The primary goal of the ADP will be to help troubled teens avoid the serious negative legal and collateral consequences associated with a criminal conviction, and to divert them to program and services that will help them avoid criminal involvement in the future.

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