By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//September 1, 2015//
By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//September 1, 2015//
Dane County has announced the creation of a program to divert juveniles in Madison who get municipal citations to a restorative court rather than having them enter the criminal justice system.
Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, Madison Police Chief Michael Koval and YWCA Executive Director Rachel Krinsky announced the program Tuesday in Madison.
Dane County, according to a news release, received a $208,000 grant for the program, which aims to reduce racial disparity and connect youth to services and their communities. The grant was from the Brighter Futures Initiative and Early Intervention Program.
The program would divert youth 12 to 16 years old beginning Sept. 15. They will be held in the court services unit of the Milwaukee Police Department, according to a news release, and the citation will not be processed as an arrest. Instead, the youth will be placed into either a peer court or restorative court.
Results of the pilot project will be reported to the Wisconsin Department of Children and families.