Philadelphia police won't arrest kids for some low-level crimes starting next week. Here's what to know.
Beginning Monday, Philadelphia police will no longer arrest juveniles for some lower-level crimes. Instead, they'll become part of a new diversion program aimed at keeping kids out of the criminal justice system when possible.
"Kids do kids stuff," Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Mike Cram said. "We were all there. We've all done stuff we shouldn't have done. And at some point, somebody did an intervention. And this is what that is."
Cram says the youth diversion plan is a follow-up to a similar program installed in Philadelphia schools, where Commissioner Kevin Bethel headed up safety before assuming his role with the Philadelphia Police Department. Cram told CBS News Philadelphia that before the schools program, PPD was "averaging about 1,500 arrests a year in schools."
Last year, Cram says there were a little over 100.
But the new program, police say, isn't about letting kids off the hook for serious offenses.
"You're out doing carjackings, you're getting locked up. That's not changing," Cram said. "The shootings, homicides, robberies and all, that doesn't change."
Instead, the department seeks to divert children from the criminal justice system when they are involved in lower-tier crimes. According to Cram, they have divided that into three tiers.
The first tier involves the lowest-level crimes, with Cram specifically pointing out disorderly conduct. In these cases, Cram says an officer will release that juvenile and they can then be referred to community programs to get any help they may need.
The second tier, Cram says, involves things like retail theft or vandalism. In these cases, the officers drive the offenders home or to one of the city's curfew centers. There will also be a mandatory referral to those community programs.
"I don't care where you're from, if a cop brought you home and dropped you off and told your parents what you did, that's the worst punishment in the world, right? So this is just another form of that, just more formalized," Cram said.
The third and final tier is mainly reserved for 10-to-12-year-olds who have committed more serious crimes. Cram says these can include car thefts and burglaries. In these cases, Cram says kids will still be processed through the city's Juvenile Assessment Center, and a Youth Services Officer will then decide about diversion.
Also included in the third tier are 10-to-17-year-olds involved in some simple assault cases, which would also be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Cram says the goal is to keep young people from being unnecessarily exposed to the criminal justice system and find a way to put them on a better path.
"How can we keep kids out of the system and then get them into a productive way of life?" Cram said.
Rickey Duncan, the director of the youth program New Options, More Opportunities, says he was part of the conversations over the diversion program and notes that arrests can have lasting effects on young people.
"Not to have to put handcuffs on, sitting behind a police car. It's positive, it's very important," Duncan said.
Duncan says introducing children to community programs instead of some of the "tough-on-crime" practices seen in other areas can better get better help them get on the right path.
"Once these kids find better things to do with their time through the programs they're going to be put in, I think they'll be a lot better and more productive citizens," Duncan said.
