Juvenile Deliquency

For juvenile delinquency class our mission was to go to Oneida County Family Court house located in Utica, New York on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 to observe what we see in the court house, in regards to juvenile delinquency. In this paper I will provide you with a walk through of my experience at the family court, from entering the court house to exiting the court house. I will also provide my thoughts and opinions about what I have experienced while I was there.

As I walked up to this intimidating court house, I passed through the class doors and the first thing I saw was a security check point. This check point we had to empty our pockets and walk through a metal detector to guarantee the safety of others. There were security guards that were assisting this process, while two armed guards (police) were sitting in a six by six double pained glass window behind the security personnel. I noticed the security guards were not armed while those in the safety box were. It only takes seconds to start shooting someone from that first check point into the court house. Having said this, by the time the two police officers reacted to any gunfire it would leave those security personnel injured or dead. Assistant District Attorney Lawrence Dillon was able to go right pass this check point without being checked like we had to. I asked Mr. Dillon why he did not get checked and he replied, "I have the card" and "they know who I am." He explained to me that many attorneys and all judges don't have to because they are there all the time, and were well known to the security guards. I proposed a question of what if you were under duress and was doing something for a terrorist because they have your family hostage? He said I would give a "wink" to let them know! Well if this is not planned out as a react drill, those inexperienced security guards are going to be clueless to that "wink." I left it alone verbally after that, but my silent mind was still thinking about these responses Mr. Dillon gave to me. I was thinking about the Columbine High School massacre, were the killers were known to many other classmates and they walked in the school and killed 12 people and injuring 24 others. Think! If this can happen at this school, who is to say that some attorney or judge or even a disgruntled individual wanting revenge will repeat what they seen at the Columbine shooting and attempt to do it at this court house.

As I passed through the security I walked into what I thought was New York City during lunch hour. I couldn't believe the amount of people around me. There were several attorneys, case workers and those that were ordered to be there that day for a court hearing, all waiting their turn to see the judge. There was a lot of pacing around from all that were there due to lack of seats. As I was scoping to find an important person involved with the process of the juvenile's, I saw a gentleman who was holding more books and paperwork than I have for two semesters of books for my classes. So I approached him and introduced myself, he replied "I am Richard Farris, the Assistant County Attorney." During my series of questions he responded with enthusiasm, confidence, and most important the knowledge he had was phenomenal. As the prosecutor of juveniles he explained that most kids he encounters are between the ages of seven to fifteen. Most of the cases he prosecutes are juveniles who run the streets, who do or have drugs on them and also bigger crimes such as burglary, arson and he stressed resisting arrest which you will learn why later in this paper. Mr. Farris explained that juveniles between the ages of thirteen and fifteen that are charged with murder are sent to the adult court. The one most important thing I agreed with him was that most of the kids that see him have home problems. This is why I don't strongly agree with the parent's involvement in the treatment of the child as for the child's best interest.

If the parent had the child's best interest already in mind that child would not be in the position he/she is in.

As I moved on from this interview I met another individual, attorney Grant Garramone. Mr. Garramone explained that when he started to practice law after law school he became a public defender while working with a private law firm. He emphasized his passion for criminal court, because you spend the time to try the case and when it's done it's done, unlike juveniles whose cases can last for years and are more time consuming. I was very interesting to learn that he notices there are a lot of young girls who commit penny larceny over bras and underwear. Lastly, I never thought of this but he mentioned that once a juvenile is a repeat offender it is much harder to defend them because the courts are much harsher on them. I think that is a positive thing, the more they continue to cause trouble for themselves or others, the more they should be responsible for their actions. The harder we try to decrease this behavior the faster we can get them to lead a productive life.

My next interview was with Kristen Walder who is a case worker for persons in need of supervision (PINS). There main reason for this program is any person under the age of 18, who does not attend school on regular bases or is incorrigible, uncontrollable, or habitually disobedient. She advised me that minors under PINS can be put on probation or sent to a detention center. Kristen only handles juvenile delinquency cases. The main influence she has with juveniles is to assist and recommend treatment for those who need it under the PINS provisions. She advised me that most of her recommendations for treatment are from life experiences because you really can't find solutions in any text book. She did mention that most of her cases are at the end of the school year because of truancy. She has to plan her calendar for this time frame because of the children's motivation to get out of school for the summer. One thing she mentioned that really surprised me was that most of her cases are repeat offenders and not new offenders and that about half the reports her office receives are reported by the parent. I really thought that would be the opposite because of the amount of children we have in Utica and the economic problems we face. I asked her a particular question of; what happens when the child and the