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Juvenile program seeks volunteers
7/23/2008 9:35 PM   0 comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend



By MIKE GELLATLY

Staff writer

Not many community programs can boast a success rate of 90 percent, and not many can honestly turn a child's life around. But one that does and has been for many years needs the community's support.

The Juvenile Arbitration Program is a diversion program for first-time juvenile offenders charged with nonviolent crimes. Instead of facing a judge and going through the traditional juvenile justice system, these youths are diverted to an arbitration hearing conducted in or near the juvenile's community.

In the Second Circuit of Aiken, Bamberg and Barnwell counties, more volunteers willing to be trained as arbitrators are needed.

"We're looking for people who simply want to help out of the goodness of their heart," said Serena McDaniel, family court solicitor and program manager. "This is an honest chance to make a difference in a child's life."

"This is a great program that allows kids to get a second chance, and everyone deserves a second chance," she said.

Trained volunteer arbitrators conduct hearings or conferences and monitor the youths' progress throughout the program, which is authorized to operate by Solicitor's Offices in all 16 judicial circuits in South Carolina.

JAP has three main goals.

Firstly, to hold young offenders accountable for their actions and for the harm they cause to their victims and communities.

Secondly, the program aims to increase the competency and learning of young offenders so they can become productive, law abiding citizens. Only nine percent of those who complete the program commit a crime while being monitored. That means 91 out of 100 do not commit a crime during or two years after the program.

The third aim is to ensure public safety by strengthening a community's capacity to prevent and control crime. Offenders in the program may have to make restitution monetarily, do community service, apologize for their actions and visit adult correction institutions while facing the less formal but still serious atmosphere of an arbitration rather than a courtroom.

Since its inception, the program has had more than 5,000 cases diverted to it, resulting in 33,234 hours of community service being performed on 770 service sites and restitution repaid to victims of almost $50,000.

"Without (the Juvenile Arbitration Program), our juvenile system would be very clogged," McDaniel said.

Volunteers have to go through 21 hours of training to become arbitrators. This includes 15 hours of classroom training and then a further six witnessing arbitrations or family court hearings.

A new training course is set to begin later this month. For more information, call 642-1512 or e-mail cturner@aikencountysc.gov.

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