More News from the Adolescent Diversion Pilot

This week's issue of neighborhood paper the Red Hook Star Revue has a lengthy profile of our role in the Adolescent Diversion Part (ADP) pilot, which is part of a statewide initiative to divert 16 and 17 year olds from criminal court and connect them to social services while allowing them to avoid the collateral consequences of a criminal record.

Every Wednesday afternoon, staff from the Justice Center head to the Kings County Criminal Courthouse in downtown Brooklyn to participate in a collaborative process in which cases are first heard downtown by Judge Joseph Gubbay. After their disposition downtown, teens are sent to the Justice Center to meet with our clinic staff and fulfill any social service or community service requirements, or get connected to long-term treatment. Red Hook's Judge Alex Calabrese is then responsible for assessing their progress.

All of the players involved in the pilot have worked tirelessly to ensure that the process is producing the best outcomes for the teens involved, and because of the spirit of collaboration are able to make necessary changes quickly to bring it closer to that goal. Kings County DA Bureau Chief Gerianne Abriano notes that "it is common sense that the various players should be working toward the shared goals of reducing crime and especially recidivism among young people. 'For me one of the most important things is that it's not assembly line justice.'"

To read the full article, click here.

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