MANCHESTER, NH – What could happen for some young people convicted of crimes if they had a pathway out of recidivism? For several stakeholders in Hillsborough County’s criminal justice system, the hope is that Young Adults Court is the answer.
Now approximately two years old, the program served as the topic this month’s community discussion at the Manchester Police Department’s Michael Briggs Public Safety Building on Wednesday.
Patrick Ives of the Hillsborough County Attorney’s Office led a presentation on the program, which seeks to assist certain criminal offenders under the age of 25 from avoiding a lifetime in and out of New Hampshire’s correctional system.
Ives told the assembled audience on Wednesday that the program currently has 10 participants and could potentially reach a total of 25 with adequate grant funding for a full-time probational officer. The program is open to young adults who have been sentenced with a crime serious enough to warrant attention but not so serious that their potential probation could endanger the community.
In theory, Ives believed that the ideal candidates for this program were likely young adults on the edge of gang activity, children of adult criminals that could use a different atmosphere, or young adults who act tougher than they actually are.
The program is designed in a manner comparable to the drug court and mental health court systems, where compliance with a prescribed and detailed oversight regimen designed to get an offender back on track can result in reduced penalties and added support for the participant. Ives said that in the case of the Young Adults Court, offenders with a felony can get their sentence reduced to a misdemeanor quicker than usual, which can help with securing jobs and other lost rights. Some participants even received gift cards for good behavior and Ives shared the success story of one participant with a firearms charge that turned around his life and is on track to a six-figure job at a shipyard. In contrast, participants that do not comply the regimen can receive admonishment, electronic monitoring, community service or be sent to jail for day-long periods.
Currently the program is focused on Manchester residents, but is open to any participants with available transportation to Manchester. Ives noted that participants in the program are likely to make mistakes and in no situation would any participant be allowed to endanger the public, but the hope is that with cooperation with organizations like the Manchester Police Department, MyTurn and others, some young people not yet fully trapped within the system can escape it and lead productive lives.
“Really for us at the end of the day, if this will keep young men and women alive and prevent gun violence, that’s a win,” said Manchester Police Department Chief Allen Aldenberg.