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From VOA Learning English, |
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this is the Education Report. |
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The path to prison often starts at a young age. |
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One way to keep young offenders |
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out of the criminal justice system |
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is called restorative justice. |
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One of the first non-profits organizations |
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to use this method is Community Works |
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in Oakland, California. |
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The organization now handles 100 cases a year, |
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it works in partnership |
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with the district attorney's office |
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and the probation department. |
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Matthew Golde is a prosecutor |
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in the district attorney's office. |
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He says prison is not the best solution |
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for most young people who commit a crime. |
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"We know what happens when you incarcerate juveniles |
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for a long period of time. |
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They come out worse. |
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For the vast majority, |
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it is not empirically the best thing to do. |
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So the question is 'What do we do?'" |
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"I'm sorry for my actions on March 17, 2013, |
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when you tried to stop me on the street in Berkeley. |
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There is no excuse for what I did." |
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John is 16 years old. |
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He got caught tagging, putting graffiti on a building. |
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He tried to run away and hit a police officer |
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while resisting arrest. |
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John is reading his letter of apology to the officer. |
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"I still don't understand why I did it, |
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but I do understand |
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what a terrible choice it was to make in the moment. |
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Hurting you was not my intention." |
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Instead of a judge, there is a facilitated. |
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John's parents are attending the conference |
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with the police officer he attacked. |
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They are sitting in a circle, |
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and speaking directly to each other. |
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Melissa Saavedra is an employee of Community Works, |
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with her assistance, they agree on a restitution plan. |
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John will perform 20 hours of community service |
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and do work at home for his parents. |
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"He's monitored very closely by myself |
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with the support of mom and dad. |
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We go through a plan and do right by the victim." |
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John was given a second chance, |
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He can return to school with no criminal record. |
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Sujatha Baliga is the Restorative Justice director |
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with the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, |
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he says studies show that offenders |
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going through restorative conferencing |
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are less likely to commit a crime again in the future. |
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Restorative justice is not well-known in the United States, |
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but the system dates back hundreds of years, |
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used by American Indian tribes |
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and the aborigines of New Zealand. |
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Mennonites in Ontario, Canada |
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started the modern-day practice in the 1970s. |
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The idea has since spread to other parts of the world. |
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Ruth Morgan is the executive director of Community Works. |
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He says the group will soon expand the program |
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to work with the district attorney in nearby San Francisco. |
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Restorative practices have already spread |
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to public schools in the San Francisco and Oakland area. |
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Teachers and administrators are using restorative circles |
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and conferencing to reduce student suspensions and expulsions. |
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And that's the Education Report from VOA Learning English. |
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I'm Christopher Cruise. |
