DA backs youth aid program

By Sheena Delazio sdelazio@timesleader.comStaff Writer

WILKES-BARRE – District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll announced Friday the beginning of the formation of youth aid panels within Luzerne County that may keep first-time juvenile offenders out of the juvenile system.

“I think there will be many benefits to this program,” Musto Carroll said. “This is a chance for the people to step up and help.”

Youth aid panels, coordinated by Bob Stevens, a retired Hazleton Area school teacher, will consist of between five and eight members of the community.

A juvenile who commits a non-violent first offense will get a chance to appear before the panel and complete the three-month program. If the program is completed successfully, Musto Carroll said, the juvenile will not go through the court system and won’t have a criminal record.

“We’re hoping that’s what happens,” said Musto Carroll, adding that the program can serve as a deterrent to juvenile offenders since they will be held accountable for their actions.

The panel is part of a response by Luzerne County to the juvenile system problems under former judge Mark Ciavarella, though Musto Carroll said youth aid panels had been talked about before the corruption probe began in Luzerne County.

Musto Carroll said the panels will first be formed in the Hazleton Area and Wyoming Valley West school districts, as they are the largest school districts in Luzerne County.

She hopes to have established panels in every school district by the end of this summer. The panels are separate entities from the school districts, and the youth aid panel organizers are only using the school districts as jurisdictions for where the panel’s members live.

Musto Carroll says she wants many applicants with wide-ranging and diverse backgrounds.

The program will begin with a written allegation presented to the district attorney’s office against a juvenile, she said.

That allegation will then be reviewed by prosecutors who handle juvenile matters. They will determine if the allegations qualify for the panel program.

First Assistant District Attorney Jeff Tokach said offenses considered for the program are misdemeanors and include: possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia; simple assault; harassment; criminal mischief; criminal trespassing; receiving stolen property; retail theft; disorderly conduct and underage drinking.

More serious cases will be referred to the court system, as well as any re-offenders. Musto Carroll said victims will also play a part in the program, and will appear before the panel separately from the juvenile.