Referral
Process
The
Youth and Family Services Unit will refer qualified juveniles to the
program and Pasadena Mental Health will do an assessment of the juvenile
and their family to determine what type of counseling will be most
appropriate.
Process
of Meetings
The
board will meet with each individual juvenile and his/her family(s), the
Investigating Detective, and the Counselor to ask questions in regards to:
* The incident
*
Behavior at home
*
School attendance and grades
*
Counseling session attendance
*
Any further Police contact
Contract
Specifications
Once the board members hear from all
sides, in the absence of the juvenile and their family, the board will
then discuss and propose an "Accountability
Contract" designed to address the juvenile's criminal behavior
and any other underlying issues; which may have led to the criminal
offense. If in agreement, the
juvenile and their parent(s) will then commit to the contract for a period
of six months.
Contract requirements may include:
*
Counseling (mandatory in all cases)
* Maintain acceptable school grades and attendance
* Perform community service
* Write apology letters to family and victims
The
Youth Accountability Board will then hold tracking meetings every two
months, throughout the six-month period. The Investigative Detective will
oversee the terms of the contract and periodically contact the juvenile
and their parent(s) to follow-up in between the tracking meetings.
Juvenile
Abides by Contract Terms
After six months, if the minor has
successfully abided by the terms of the contract, the cases will be closed
and removed from all records. Juvenile's
successfully completing the program will graduate and be presented with a
certificate of completion.
Juvenile
Breaks Contract Terms
If
the juvenile fails to comply or violates any terms of the contract, he/she
will be dismissed from the program due to a breach of contract and their
case will be filed through the Juvenile Justice System.
