April 16, 2011. The Palm Beach Post.
WEST PALM BEACH — As West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio stood before a grass-roots coalition of churches gathered at Palm Beach Lakes High School last week, she faced two questions.
Would the mayor commit to the establishment and funding of a pilot Neighborhood Accountability Board in the city? And would she make the proposal at a future city commission meeting?
On both counts, the mayor answered yes.
Muoio drew on her experiences as an educator in announcing her support for the program, which is aimed at addressing the issue of youth crime in the city.
“As an educator, I know the importance of restorative justice,” Muoio told the crowd of 2,000. “I know how effective it is, and I know that it can add to what we’re doing in West Palm Beach.”
But Muoio later said the city would have to consider cost-effective ways of establishing the program.
“We’re in a very tight budget time . . . and we’re going to have to look for other sources of funding,” she said after her speech.
Establishing an NAB has been part of an ongoing initiative by members of PEACE (People Engaged in Active Community Efforts) to address youth crime.
The Rev. Paul Rasmus of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Lake Worth said the organization’s goal is to see the establishment of a pilot NAB program in the city’s northwest and Coleman Park neighborhoods, then the creation of similar programs in other areas of the county.
“We have 20-plus churches (as members),” Rasmus said. “There are lots of folks affected by youth crime … unfortunately for some of them, (they have) family members who get caught up.”
The NAB, pending final approval, would operate under the concept of restorative justice, Rasmus said.
As an alternative to the juvenile court system, the program would be offered primarily to first- or second-time offenders under age 18 with a misdemeanor or third-degree felony, he said.
Florida Department of Juvenile Justice figures show a gradual decrease, countywide and citywide, in the number of juvenile referrals between 2005 and 2010.
An analysis of seven West Palm Beach ZIP codes showed 816 total referrals to the department from July 2009 to July 2010, down from 997 from July 2008 to July 2009.
But Rasmus cites a 2006 Florida State University study commissioned by the Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission, which shows that youths between the ages of 15 and 24 who commit violent crimes have an average of 12.7 previous arrests.
“We’re looking to get the first-time, nonviolent youthful offenders,” he said. “Get them on track before they get off track.”
Referrals to the NAB would have to be approved by the state attorney’s office, and the juvenile defendants would have to acknowledge their misdeeds and agree to complete some form of punishment – typically restitution to the victim, such as repair work to a store that was vandalized.
Board meetings would allow the victim and members of the community to attend.
“We understand that this is not going to help everybody,” said the Rev. Kevin Jones of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in West Palm Beach. “But I truly believe that a lot of young people can be changed through this creative or innovative process.
“We don’t think we’re going to save every child this way. Some probably need to keep on down the system.”
Rasmus estimates that the cost to implement the NAB would be about $100,000, including pay for a full-time coordinator and training for volunteers.
Muoio said she would see whether grants are available to help defray costs, and would look for ways to integrate the NAB into established youth programs in the city.
“If we can integrate into the youth empowerment center, we’ll do that,” she said.
