Success Story

When Nashua High School student Arthur mistakenly an inappropriate email to one of his teachers via a school computer, it got him into quite a bit of trouble. He was charged with delinquent behavior and faced the possibility of having to answer to the charge in court. Since he was a first-time offender, however, he was given the option of attending the Court Diversion Program at The Youth Council. It made a huge difference in Arthur's life.

The Youth Council's Court Diversion program holds first-time juvenile offenders accountable for their actions, without requiring Court involvement.  The program includes a family assessment, a hearing before a panel of local teen and adult volunteers, and a three-month contract of consequences. Upon successful completion of the contract, the case is closed and the youth is not considered a juvenile delinquent. Over the past five years the Court Diversion Program has helped close to 1,000 youth and saved local taxpayers several hundred thousand dollars in prosecution costs.
 
After presenting his case to The Youth Council panel, Arthur was assigned his consequences: write a letter of apology to the teacher; write a five-page paper on the costs and effects of prank bomb threats; perform 15 hours of community service; and sit on The Youth Council's Court Diversion Panel for two meetings. He also had to avoid being re-arrested for one year in order to have his slate wiped clean.

"I knew something like this on my record would hurt," Arthur said. "I wanted to go to college and pursue a career." Not only did Arthur complete his contract of consequences, he was so grateful for the second chance The Youth Council's Court Diversion Program gave him that he continued to volunteer as a panelist. He has done so for four years. He also carries a double major of computer science and automotive technology at New Hampshire Community Technical College.