LA ‘restorative justice’ programs set to give violent juvenile felons a pass
By Jon Levine
New York Post
December 18, 2021
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon has ordered that violent juvenile criminals be eligible for diversion rather than prosecution
Kiddie criminals in Los Angeles accused of serious crimes are set to get a pass under new rules from District Attorney George Gascon.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney will expand its “restorative justice” diversion programs for youths to include those facing charges like burglary, arson, robber and even sexual battery, among other crimes, according to a leaked memo from the DA’s office.
Diversion programs are a form of pre-trial intervention which allows alleged juveniles to avoid prosecution, conviction — and serious jail time — in favor of more rehabilitative approaches.
The DA’s office launched a pilot for the Restorative Enhanced Diversion for Youth (REDY) program in Nov 2021.
The memo was first reported by Fox News.
“According to this policy, prosecutors in the LA DA office tell me if a juvenile were to follow you home, pull a knife on you, threaten to kill you, then use force to rob you, and they are later arrested, they would be eligible for diversion rather than prosecution.” Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin said in a tweet explaining the implications of the new memo.
The program will apply to youths facing charges like burglary, arson, robber and even sexual battery
Reps for the LA District Attorney did not immediately respond to request for comment from The Post.
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AN APOLOGY FROM THE JUVENILE OFFENDER TO THE VICTIM IS CRAZY GASCON'S IDEA OF JUSTICE
Gascón's record of criminal justice reform
meaww
December 18, 2021
Being a progressive prosecutor, Gascónhas been vocal about his belief that the criminal justice system needs to focus more on intervention and rehabilitation. As a result, he has heavily criticized "tough on crime" policies as racist and a failure.
"This program will help repair the immense harm that criminal behavior inflicts on our community by giving crime victims the opportunity to actively participate in the restorative justice process," Gascón said in a statement on the launch of the REDY pilot last month. "Restorative justice' is a trendy approach to criminal justice that focuses on mediating between the offender and the victim as they discuss the crime, with the goal of achieving some kind of redress for the harms caused by the offense."
He added: "For example, the offender could apologize to the victim, or offer to return or replace stolen or damaged property. Officials with Gascón's office say that the REDY program seeks to 'expand opportunities for young people to be connected with services that support their development while offering opportunities to take accountability for their actions through a process that also supports those who have been hurt and their needs."
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