Res 0024-2018

By Council Member Cabrera Whereas, In April 2011, the New York City Administration of Children's Services ("ACS") began a pilot program called Positive Alternative Towards Home ("PATH"); and Whereas, The PATH program involves using electronic monitoring so that youth who would normally be in secure detention as alleged Juvenile Offenders ("JO's") can return to the community as they await adjudication; and Whereas, Many young offenders can be effectively rehabilitated through community-based supervision and intervention; and Whereas, The PATH program includes support and supervision from community-based organizations; and Whereas, Residential care is costly and community based alternative programs that divert juvenile offenders from residential care are cost effective and improve outcomes for children; and Whereas, The goal of PATH is to keep youth in the community pending adjudication while minimizing risk to the community; and Whereas, PATH is a performance-based program where youth can significantly influence their outcome based on their behavior; and Whereas, An electronic monitoring device is used to measure the youth's compliance with curfew and other court-ordered conditions and restrictions, as well as to monitor school and program attendance; and Whereas, The PATH program is in line with ACS' efforts to step down youth from secure detention to non-secure detention as well as from detention to community-based alternatives; and Whereas, It must be a priority for New York City to maintain public safety while providing effective alternatives to incarceration that allow court involved youth to remain safely with their families in their communities; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York City Administration for Children's Services to fund and Criminal Court Judges to use the Positive Alternative Towards Home program. BG/JDK LS 6351 / Reso 973/2016 LS #471 12/20/17 2 1