Bucks Writs - Summer 2017 - 24

feature

Bucks D.A.'s Program

Gives Young Adults
A SECOND CHANCE
- Megan Brooks

A felony criminal record affects a person for a lifetime
- whether it forecloses employment and education opportunities, financing for a home, or personal relationships.
But for some young offenders in Bucks County, the stigma
associated with a felony
conviction will not inhibit
them for rest of their lives.

assigned a pre-trial probation officer and appear regularly
before the Honorable Rea B. Boylan during the course of
their supervision. This regular and frequent oversight by
the Court of Common Pleas requires the young offenders
to engage in activities that
are designed to improve the
future quality of their lives.

The Bucks County District
Attorney's Office "Youthful
Offender Program" is a
pre-trial program for first
time non-violent individuals
between the ages of 18 and
24 who have committed a
felony. Successful completion
of the program provides the
offender the opportunity to
have the felony reduced to a misdemeanor. In recognizing
that these individuals are young adults, the program aims
to blend the goals of both the juvenile and adult court
systems: rehabilitation and accountability.

The Youthful Offender
Program is unique in that it
can be tailored toward each
participant's needs. In some
instances, participants are
required to obtain their GED
or to seek counseling. The
program also focuses on an
offender's decision-making
in an effort to ensure that
each participant is able to identify what decisions led to
the commission of his or her offense, with the hope of
decreasing the risk of reoffending.

The program also focuses on
an offender's decision-making
in an effort to ensure that each
participant is able to identify what
decisions led to the commission of
his or her offense, with the hope of
decreasing the risk of reoffending.

The keystone to the program for many participants is a
requirement that they must attend the Diakon Wilderness
Challenge, in Boiling Springs, PA. Diakon is a 30 day
wilderness experience where individuals work as a group to
learn outdoor survival skills, gain leadership experience and
focus on accountability for their past criminal activity. Most
participants return from Diakon with a new-found insight
and a motivation to better themselves. Upon successful

Acceptance into the program is at the discretion of the
District Attorney's Office. Once accepted, participants are
placed on pre-trial supervision and are court ordered to
complete certain requirements. Examples of these requirements include community service, full time employment,
full time enrollment in post-secondary education, and a
drug and alcohol evaluation and treatment. Participants are
24

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bucks Writs - Summer 2017