GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A new program in Kent County has come up with a new way of dealing with kids who commit crimes.
It’s called “Restorative Justice” for juveniles. The concept isn’t new, but applying it to juvenile court cases in Kent County is.
Kids who commit one of three crimes — malicious destruction of property, larceny, or assault and battery — are eligible for the new program. Rather than send them before a judge, the offender will meet face-to-face with the victim in the case.
“The two of them can come together and in essence agree on what the resolution’s going to be for the two of them,” Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker told 24 Hour News 8 Monday. “Could be shoveling snow, could be painting a house, could be paying restitution and apologizing.”
If both sides agree to meet and all goes as planned, the young offender never goes before a judge and the crime is kept off his or her juvenile record.
Becker, who launched the program at the start of 2018, said the goal is to keep kids from reoffending.
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