Reproduced from the Jefferson County Delinquency Prevention Council 2007 Annual Report with permission.
Now and Then
The Restorative Justice Program of Jefferson County has been providing service supervision to youth since 1997. Since that time, 1580 youth have been referred to this program and 22,945 hours of community service have been performed in Jefferson County. 1,100 youth have completed their orders successfully, resulting in a 70% successful completion rate since 1997. We currently offer 12 different supervised community service sites for youth to attend across the county.
Value Beyond The Dollar
An evaluation was provided to all community service locations to assess their satisfaction with the work completed by the youth and the impact this program has on the lives of others in the community. Of the 12 sites surveys, 9 returned the completed evaluation forms. On a scale of 1-5, one being least satisfied and 5 being most satisfied, the evaluation average level of satisfaction was 4.6. Some comments made by the sites representative include:
- “It is good to see these kids doing something,”
- “We appreciate all the help that your kids provide and we would miss them if anything would change.”
- “The residents really look forward to the weekly games. Thanks for all you have done!”
- “This program is very helpful. The fact that a staff comes with the youth is very important to us.”
Success Through Numbers
In 2007, the 127 youth of Jefferson County who were referred completed 1514.75 hours of community service. These youth performed community service throughout Jefferson County, where youth engaged in recreational activities with the residents of assisted living facilities, tutored elementary age children at the Boys and Girls Club, and helped at various community activities in places like the Health and Wellness Center of Watertown. This year, a new site was adopted at the Literacy Council of Jefferson County. Youth have the opportunity to earn community service hours by providing child care for children under the age of 10, while adults in the community take English classes. This addition provides youth another option to complete their court ordered community service, thus paying back the community for the crimes they committed.
A New Approach
In 2008, the Restorative Justice Program will adopt additional sites, in an effort to provide youth community service options that fit their interests, thus increasing the chances they will complete their court orders successfully.
