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New Arlington youth program uses restorative justice to tackle juvenile crime
As leaders across the DMV grapple with how to tackle juvenile crime, a new program in Arlington is offering a solution by taking a restorative justice approach. FOX 5's Sierra Fox has the latest.
ARLINGTON, Va. - As leaders across the DMV grapple with how to tackle juvenile crime, a new program in Arlington is offering a solution by taking a restorative justice approach.
The nonprofit Center for Youth and Family Advocacy is addressing kids' and teens' underlying needs and behavior to prevent them from committing harm again.
It’s a new program diverting kids and teens from the criminal justice system and providing them with the resources they need to promote understanding, healing, and accountability.
Devanshi Patel is the CEO of the Center for Youth and Family Advocacy, also known as CYFA. She said the goal is to help young people make better decisions in the future.
Since CYFA started in August 2023 there have been 28 referrals.
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Young people ages 10 to 17 who have committed misdemeanor crimes like assault and battery, shoplifting, as well as drug and alcohol possession, can enter the program.
"Sometimes young people are asked to examine what is the impact of engaging in that behavior, not just on you, not just what’s happening when you get in trouble, but also your family, having to engage in these processes, the retailer who has had to suffer any loss, the economy beyond you, what’s the impact personally and beyond," Patel said.
Charges are dropped and not prosecuted when the child successfully completes the program, which typically takes three to four months.
During that time, the kids and teens learn about the legal system, trauma, and how they can be productive members of society moving forward.
"It provides an opportunity for really meaningful introspection. And that introspection is not done alone," Patel said. "It’s done with the assistance of peers and so you have an opportunity, a really powerful opportunity for young people to learn from one another."
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CYFA has an agreement with the Arlington County Police Department.
In a statement sent to FOX 5, the department said, "The Arlington County Police Department believes that using restorative justice for particular incidents in the community involving minors provides opportunities to effectively resolve youthful harm through meaningful accountability and redress to persons harmed and the community as a whole. Arlington County Police continue to respond and investigate reported criminal incidents in our community. When an applicable incident involves a youth offender between 10-17 years old, and the victim has been identified and agrees to the case being referred to restorative justice practices rather than the criminal justice system, officers may, at their discretion, refer the incident to the Center for Youth and Family Advocacy (CYFA). Since signing a memorandum of understanding with the CYFA in June 2023, officers have referred several incidents involving misdemeanor offenses and non-violent felonies (such as simple assault, credit card fraud, possession of fake ID, petite larceny, public intoxication). The partnership has appeared to benefit all parties involved and the efficiency of the referral process has allowed our officers to focus resources on more serious offenses occurring in our community."
Not only police officers or parents can refer young people, anyone can refer a child or teen to the program by visiting this website.