City Council members appear to agree with a consultant’s recommendations that Longmont agencies should focus more on keeping low-level juvenile offenders out of the criminal justice system and put them on a path toward making positive changes in their lives.
The recommendations from the OMNI Institute – which evaluated Longmont REWiND and the city’s Community Restorative Justice Program – said in part that a more “nuanced approach to program referrals, closer collaboration with Longmont police and enhancements to tracking program data” is needed, according to a city staff report.
OMNI states that to ensure offenders get the “minimal necessary contact” with the criminal justice system, police should be allowed the option to refer an offender to Community Restorative Justice through REWiND without the need to write a municipal summons, the staff reports states.
Christina Pacheco – Longmont’s division manager of children, youth and families – told the city council last week OMNI wants the agencies to work more closely together to ensure the best outcome for juveniles. “They really want us to work as a team and work together with families to ensure a juvenile is on the best possible path,” Pacheco said.
Councilwoman Suzie Hidalgo-Fahring – a St. Vrain Valley School District teacher – told Pacheco she wants the programs to handle each juvenile case fairly without regard to race and to take into account a youth’s disability.
“When a conflict happens in the classroom, sometimes the child feels the consequences of his child’s actions are not just,” Hidalgo-Fahring said. “Just having folks look at a child holistically ...as well as students with disabilities” is important, she said.
Mayor Brian Bagley told the council he is still worried juveniles who break a law will still wind up in jail despite the recommendations from OMNI.
“The criminal justice system is not designed to rehabilitate children,” said Bagley, an attorney. “Regardless of the crime...a child can’t be given up on and wind up in jail.”
REWiND is a voluntary program for youth who have violated a Longmont municipal ordinance. It diverts youth from the Longmont Municipal Court and provides them with an opportunity to learn from their mistakes, according to the city of Longmont website.
The Community Restorative Justice Program provides youth a chance to make amends to victims through a variety of ways, based on the facts of the criminal case made against them. The program works with up to 120 cases a year involving petty, misdemeanor and felony level offenses, with more than 90% of the cases referred by Longmont Police, according to the restorative justice website.
OMNI offered several detailed recommendations including that Community Restorative Justice develop a data and analysis protocol for recidivism and REWiND develop stronger relationships with police officers through regular training and briefings to inform them of the program’s benefits, according to the staff report.
Pacheco said the council has started piecing together a new referral process and enhanced assessment process.
“It is really a team approach we are working on,” she told the council.
