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Editorial
Restorative Justice puts crime in village context
Los Gatos is a nice middle/upper middle class community. Its young people do well and many go to top universities. Sometimes, however, these good kids break the law, and when they do, many adults would rather look the other way.
That's understandable since the crimes committed by Los Gatos kids tend to be low-level offenses such as drug and alcohol abuse or property damage--not the sort of thing that warrants time in juvenile hall.
Still, it would be a mistake to suggest that these are victimless crimes.
An undercover operation to ferret out drug dealers at Los Gatos High School came about because drug activity on campus made students feel unsafe.
Destroying mail boxes, damaging trees or paintballing a garage door may seem like innocent fun, especially for young people prowling about a neighborhood with a couple of buddies on a Saturday night. But when morning comes, someone has to pay, and that someone is usually the homeowner who has to spend money and time to repair damaged property.
But if juvenile hall isn't the best way to deal with this kind of behavior, what is? How does the community let its young people know what's acceptable and what's not? How does the community let its youth know that when they are involved in unacceptable behavior there will be consequences?
One good answer is the Restorative Justice Program which came to Los Gatos last summer.
Started by the Santa Clara County Juvenile Probation Department four years ago, the Restorative Justice Program puts the low-level criminal back in his or her own community where a volunteer panel of residents and local business people put the crime in a community context.
This innovative program works on the premise that if it takes a village to raise a child, then it is the village that should let the child who violated village rules know what must be done to right the wrong.
Right now, Heidi Pham, who coordinates the program here is looking for 15 Los Gatans to serve on the Neighborhood Accountability Board. After 12 hours of training, board members gather monthly to meet individually with local youth offenders and come up with appropriate ways for them to pay for their crimes.
Letters of apology, restitution, community service or enrolling in a self-help class are all possible actions that might be required. The youth offender must sign a contract agreeing to the terms and will receive a certificate of completion when the terms are met. If the youth stays out of trouble for two years or until his or her 18th birthday, the young person can go through the process to have the records sealed.
It's hard to imagine a more important way for adults in Los Gatos to contribute to the community than by volunteering for the Neighborhood Accountability Board. To learn more, call408.529.4253.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
