FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Roger Mercado, Lee County Human Services
               (239) 652-7911

VOLUNTEERS HELP JUVENILES THROUGH COMMUNITY-BASED JUSTICE

FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 16, 2004) - Lee County Human Services will hold a volunteer training Thursday (July 22) for people interested in participating in an innovative "Restorative Justice" program.

The Neighborhood Accountability Boards Program fashions community-based reparations for juvenile offenders.

The training will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Page Park Community Club, 507 Center Road in Page Park south of Page Field Airport.

Note to media: You are invited to film parts of the training and interview participants if you are interested in doing stories. Coordinate with Roger Mercado, 652-7911.

Lee County has Neighborhood Accountability Boards in Cape Coral, Charleston Park, Dunbar, Harlem Heights, Lehigh Acres, Page Park, Palmona Park, Pine Manor, Suncoast Estates and the Edison Mall.

When a juvenile commits a crime in one of the participating neighborhoods/communities, or a juvenile residing in one of the neighborhoods commits a crime elsewhere, residents and other neighborhood partners (Neighborhood Businesses, Community Policing, etc.) will meet with the juvenile, his or her parent(s) and the victim in order to develop a Case Plan to address the repair caused by the crime.

Instead of the standard criminal justice punishment model, the NAB focuses on what harm was done, what needs to be done to repair the harm, and who is responsible for the repair. Examples include:

• Community Services hours tied to the community/victim;

• Speak to a group of his/her peers regarding the crime committed;

• Enrollment in an after-school program to address issues with school or to assist in skill building (leadership, decision making, etc.);

• Depending on the crime, direct financial payments.

There also is an emphasis making sure the offender understands the impact to the victim(s) through victim impact statements and, many times, direct contact to fully understand the financial/emotional consequences of the crime.

The program is available to first-time, juvenile offenders with no previous criminal records who have committed non-violent misdemeanors.