Juvenile offenders in one of Madison's most troubled neighborhoods will soon face a new form of punishment besides tickets and criminal records.
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz announced a new 'youth court' program Wednesday that involves a jury of peers determining young offenders' consequences for crimes such as trespassing and disorderly conduct. The program, aimed at kids aged 12 to 16 who have pleaded guilty or no contest to certain city ordinances, is an effort to solve crime problems in the Allied Drive area, located on the south side of Madison.
Cieslewicz spokesperson George Twigg said the program would not solve the entire problem but would 'hopefully be part of the solution.'
In a release, Cieslewicz said the program would help troubled youth in the Allied Drive area 'get back on track.'
Youth from the Allied Drive neighborhood will begin training for the program at the end of this week and expect to start work in March.
Twigg said Madison municipal court judges would decide which cases go to the youth court and which remain in the traditional criminal justice system based on the likelihood of rehabilitating young offenders.
Cieslewicz hopes to get the community more involved with the 'circle sentencing' and create a peer-to-peer dynamic. Juries will include three to four neighborhood youth volunteers, an adult Allied-area resident and a program coordinator. The sentencing session will involve the jury sitting in a circle with the offender and their parents. Most youth court defendants will receive a sanction such as community service.
Involving the community is important in solving Allied Drive crime problems and especially helping youth, Twigg said, adding that it is especially important to intervene early with young offenders so 'that as they go through life, they are productive members of society who are obeying the laws that everyone has to abide by.'
Twigg said other cities such as Sun Prairie and Cottage Grove have implemented similar programs with high success rates.
UW-Madison freshman Mattie Dungy said the youth court program is a good alternative to traditional solutions to youth-crime problems. She added that introducing children as young as 12 to the criminal justice system could lead to worse problems in the future.
'It's really important to focus on rehabbing kids instead of just punishing them,' Dungy said. 'We can't just throw everyone in jail.'
