Diverting Adolescents

Today's New York Law Journal has a piece on New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman's new adolescent diversion initiative, which seeks to forge a new response to 16 and 17 year olds with criminal cases. The goal is to help these adolescents get the help they need -- and leave court without permanent criminal records, wherever possible. On the heels of Community Justice 2012, one of my favorite things about this initiative is that it underlines the ongoing value of New York's community courts; the Midtown Community Court, Red Hook Community Justice Center and Bronx Community Solutions are providing services and supervision to support participating young people.