Thursday, September 11, 2008 

(315)  798-5800

Picente Declares September Youth Court Month

            Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr., today announced that the Month of September has been designated a Youth Court Month in Oneida County in honor of the outstanding efforts put forth by the staff and volunteers of the Oneida County Youth Court, which is operated through the Oneida County Probation Department.

            “Youth Court operates on a couple of different levels to help our youth develop a fuller understanding of themselves, their role in society, and their understanding of the justice system,” Picente said. “For the youth who volunteer as Youth Court members, Youth Court provides them with outstanding training to serve as jurors, judges and attorneys, handling real-life cases involving their peers. For the youth who have committed minor offenses and whose cases come before Youth Court, this is an opportunity to take responsibility for their actions, to acknowledge how their behavior affects the quality of life in the community, and to become participants in the system.”

           Probation Director David Tomidy said Oneida County Youth Court is successful because it offers an alternative to traditional punishments. “Youth Court is an opportunity for teen-agers who have made a mistake, and who can benefit from a different approach to the traditional type of probation or court, to change their lives with the help of the peers who serve on Youth Court.   Oneida County ’s Youth Court serves to be constructive, rehabilitational and educational – with the understanding that if youth who are given the opportunity to have a case heard in Youth Court fail to take this seriously, they are back in the arena of the legal system’s traditional punishments and approaches.”

            Picente said the success of Youth Court comes from the commitment of staff and volunteers. “Youth Court helps the young people who volunteer their time to better understand how community service really works, and how to balance the law on the books with the justice that has to be part of our communities,” Picente said. “Youth Court members deepen their understanding of the justice system, just as the youth who come before Youth Court come away with a better understanding of responsibility and the need to give back to the community when a mistake has been made.

            Cases are generally referred by police, probation and school officials to the Director, who accepts cases meeting established criteria. Typical cases that may be heard in Youth Court include criminal mischief, larceny, trespassing, harassment and disorderly conduct. Youth Court hears cases that involve teens who have not yet reached their eighteenth (18) birthday, and have admitted guilt to a crime or an offense as a first-time offender.

            Picente and Tomidy urged that anyone with question about Youth Court contact Oneida County Youth Court Director Amy Warmingham at 798-5914