Monday, July 21, 2008

Cindy Samuels interview

Information from Cindy Samuels interview:

-In 2006, 539 youth were waived in NJ

-No numbers on DMC—proposal: keep records, track data

-According to a study by the Miami Dade Public Defender’s Office, 90% of waived delinquents vs. 40% of those in juvenile court re-offended within a year, even controlling for nature of initial offense—proposal: need to keep track of those with longer sentences

-In practice, minorities are almost automatically waived

-Consider the criteria to grant waiver—sufficient/ adequate criteria?

-Getting rid of waiver would simplify everything. It would reduce suicides during incarceration, abuse in custody, recidivism, blemishing the records of juveniles for the rest of their lives (criminal conviction)

-Issues of reintegration: very limited services provided in adult institutions, thus youth not prepared to reenter into society—Pat Torbit

-Waiver= exceptions driving rules

-Need process o evaluate if person poses same risk at age 25 as he/she does at age 15

-Neurological development sources: mcfound.org, Lawrence Steinberg, “Youth on Trial,” Thomas Russo, Elizabeth Cauffman

-Waiver embodies the opposite idea of the juvenile justice system which is that kids are unredeemable

-Obligation as society to reform/ help kids?

-How, without waiver, would we address legitimate community concerns?

-A lot of overcharging (ex: kids work in groups—aggravating factor because this factor makes crimes more serious than they are)

-Restorative justice varies from county to county. Depends on budget discretion , etc.

-Reentry programs handled by State Parole Apparatus and private entities (contracted by State Parole Board)

-Vast majority of delinquents enter guilty plea bargains

-Sometimes offense that would require probation in adult court, require incarceration in juvenile court—pointless then to waive?

-NJ: 44,950 cases tried, 15,000 diverted, 21,000 formally adjudicated, of the 21,000, only 1,400 convicted

-Costs state less to incarcerate as adult ($20,000-$50,000) than as youth ($100,000+)—this is problematic.

-Waiver hearing: only provision is right to council. Probable cause is a very low standard for waiver consideration

-Need for cultural competency of attorneys—source: Kim Taylor Thompson, Hayward Burns Institute

No comments: