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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is seeking neighborhood volunteers to keep juveniles from a life of crime.
Youth Aid Panels — based in each police district — need adult volunteers to help first-time juvenile offenders to make the right decisions and steer them away from the criminal justice system.
“This is the perfect opportunity to support your community,” District Attorney Seth Williams said in a statement. “Just a few hours a month will have a tremendous impact on the City.”
A first-time juvenile offender charged with a misdemeanor or minor felony who admits involvement can avoid going before a judge by entering into a contract with the panel that may require a community service project, written essay and/or restitution involving workshops about the respective crime. If completed, the juvenile’s arrest is expunged. Nine out of 10 of the 6,000 juveniles effectively fulfill the requirements and the majority never commits a crime again.
For more information, call 215-686-7600, 6305 or 6310.
Contact Managing Editor Amanda L. Snyder at asnyder@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
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