A Spotlight on Peters Township’ s Youth Commission eters Township
PETERS TOWNSHIP NEWS
The Peters Township Youth Commission is a Township Board that was created in 1990 to provide an alternative to formal juvenile proceedings for first time youths who are charged with minor offenses. This alternative to the traditional court system is designed to allow the youth to take responsibility for his or her action, while also addressing the needs of the victims and allowing for community involvement without burdening the juvenile court system.
Members of the Youth Commission, who must be Township residents, are appointed by Council and represent a cross section of the community. Currently, Peters Township’ s Youth Commission has seven members. Four officers( Chair, Vice Chair, Recording Secretary and Corresponding Secretary) are elected annually.
The Youth Commission meets during each odd-numbered month, and schedules special meetings if necessary. Members receive cases that are referred by the Township Police Department. A case referral requires that the youth has never appeared before the Commission, is under 18 years of age and admits to a problem warranting involvement of the Youth Commission. All parties, including the youth, parent( s) and victim( s), must agree to the referral. The Township ordinance provides examples of the types of cases that might be referred.
Once the Youth Commission members consider a referral, a case is scheduled for an upcoming meeting attended by the involved youth and parents. Following the meeting, the Youth Commission decides whether or not to accept the case. If accepted, the involved youth and parents are offered a contract that sets forth the terms and conditions that must be completed in order for the youth to successfully exit the program. Community service is one of the most common requirements.
Youths are assigned one or two overseers, who are Youth Commission members that meet periodically with the youth to provide guidance in completing the contract requirements. The contract requirements must be completed by the time a second meeting with the Youth Commission is scheduled. If the youth does not complete all requirements, the case is referred back to previous procedures that would have taken place without the involvement of the Youth Commission. A youth may also elect to withdraw from the Youth Commission process at any time and proceed through the juvenile court system instead.
All Youth Commission proceedings are strictly confidential and are not open to the public. Likewise, all records are destroyed upon successful completion of the requirements set forth.
The majority of youths who agree to the process are able to satisfactorily complete the requirements within the specified timeline, and successful completion of the program allows the youth to avoid a criminal record.
“ The Youth Commission is important to the Township because it offers youths who make an error in judgment an opportunity to make amends without creating a
12 Peters Township criminal record that will follow them into the future,” says Corresponding Secretary Cathy Skidmore.“ Most youths who go through the process successfully complete the requirements, and both they and their parents report that they find the experience to be very rewarding in providing a positive outcome and benefit to the community at large.”
For more information about the Peters Township Youth Commission, contact Chief Grimes at DGrimes @ peterstownship. com.
Current Members of the Peters Township Youth Commission
Paul McGrath – Chair Dr. Tim Skraitz – Vice Chair
Tamara Conrad – Recording Secretary
Cathy Skidmore – Corresponding Secretary
John Barnes Kellie Rogers Bootman Dr. Raymond Hsieh
Nine members may be a part of the Peters Township Youth Commission at any given time. Anyone interested in one of the two currently available positions should contact Chief Grimes for more information.