The goal is to prevent young people from getting a criminal record and time in jail
By Tom MacDonald – WHYY.org – January 7, 2025
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said there should be more alternatives to traditional prosecution for juvenile offenders. He hopes to prevent more young people from spending time in jail or ending up with a criminal record.
The move comes after a year that saw a significant decrease in adult crime in Philadelphia.
“We want them to be successful, we want them to increase public safety in the same way as diversion for adults for gun possession turned out,” Krasner said in a news conference Tuesday morning.
King says one example of success is a program that deals with young people who’ve stolen cars.
“We work with individuals for five weeks, teaching decision-making and critical thinking skills. But also teaching them the impact of the law and how it could affect them if they don’t do well in the program,” King said. “We’ve had the great pleasure of having multiple success stories in terms of connecting individuals with forklift certifications, CPR and flagger certification so that they can start to think about a path to success.”
https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-larry-krasner-juvenile-offenders/