WEBVTT NOTE duration:"00:01:52.9980000" NOTE recognizability:0.883 NOTE language:en-us NOTE Confidence: 0.92850673 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.480 New at noon. A new program hopes to NOTE Confidence: 0.92850673 00:00:02.480 --> 00:00:04.717 give young people a second chance. NOTE Confidence: 0.92850673 00:00:04.720 --> 00:00:06.676 Newport News is launching the youth NOTE Confidence: 0.92850673 00:00:06.676 --> 00:00:08.314 Justice Diversion program, aiming to NOTE Confidence: 0.92850673 00:00:08.314 --> 00:00:10.276 help teens keep their records clean. NOTE Confidence: 0.92850673 00:00:10.280 --> 00:00:12.236 Casey Baylor explains how it works. NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:13.870 --> 00:00:16.814 It's the first of its kind in Virginia, NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:16.820 --> 00:00:18.292 Jarrett Grimes, the Newport NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:18.292 --> 00:00:19.764 News Juvenile Services director, NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:19.770 --> 00:00:21.894 says the city's new youth justice NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:21.894 --> 00:00:23.739 Diversion program aims to help NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:23.739 --> 00:00:25.899 young first time offenders fix past NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:25.899 --> 00:00:27.890 mistakes where they have developed NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:27.890 --> 00:00:30.586 a record and that record will stay with NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:30.586 --> 00:00:32.690 them through their juvenile years. NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:32.690 --> 00:00:34.530 The program, also known as NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:34.530 --> 00:00:36.588 Youth Court, will have a teen NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:36.588 --> 00:00:38.590 who commits a minor offense, NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:38.590 --> 00:00:41.668 go before a jury of their peers and take NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:41.668 --> 00:00:43.389 responsibility for their wrongdoing. NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:43.390 --> 00:00:45.395 Grime says those offenses include NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:45.395 --> 00:00:46.598 abusive language vandalism. NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:46.600 --> 00:00:47.952 Or some driving offences. NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:47.952 --> 00:00:49.980 Then the jury decides the teens NOTE Confidence: 0.8885863 00:00:50.040 --> 00:00:51.699 consequences community work. NOTE Confidence: 0.8440029 00:00:51.700 --> 00:00:53.660 It will be apology letters. NOTE Confidence: 0.8440029 00:00:53.660 --> 00:00:56.250 It could be a verbal apology in NOTE Confidence: 0.8440029 00:00:56.250 --> 00:00:59.474 front of the court and in front of NOTE Confidence: 0.8440029 00:00:59.474 --> 00:01:02.280 the quote UN quote victim. The only NOTE Confidence: 0.8440029 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:04.776 adult in this process, a practicing NOTE Confidence: 0.8440029 00:01:04.776 --> 00:01:06.979 lawyer who will sit as the NOTE Confidence: 0.8440029 00:01:06.980 --> 00:01:09.338 judge. Well up until last year, NOTE Confidence: 0.8440029 00:01:09.340 --> 00:01:11.686 Virginia code wouldn't allow this program. NOTE Confidence: 0.8440029 00:01:11.690 --> 00:01:13.650 So the 93rd District delegate, NOTE Confidence: 0.8440029 00:01:13.650 --> 00:01:15.740 Michael Mullen, introduced this legislation NOTE Confidence: 0.8440029 00:01:15.740 --> 00:01:18.880 into the 2021 General Assembly. At the NOTE Confidence: 0.8968263 00:01:18.880 --> 00:01:22.048 city's request and this will give NOTE Confidence: 0.8968263 00:01:22.050 --> 00:01:26.859 them an opportunity to change course and. NOTE Confidence: 0.8968263 00:01:26.860 --> 00:01:29.015 Revert back to acceptable behavior NOTE Confidence: 0.8968263 00:01:29.015 --> 00:01:31.600 in their community. Grimes says the NOTE Confidence: 0.8853514 00:01:31.600 --> 00:01:34.066 ultimate goal for many teens is NOTE Confidence: 0.8853514 00:01:34.066 --> 00:01:36.340 to avoid the juvenile justice NOTE Confidence: 0.8853514 00:01:36.340 --> 00:01:39.516 system. Our end goal is to get them NOTE Confidence: 0.8853514 00:01:39.516 --> 00:01:43.183 back on track and keep them out of a NOTE Confidence: 0.8853514 00:01:43.183 --> 00:01:45.907 system that is sometimes very difficult NOTE Confidence: 0.8853514 00:01:45.907 --> 00:01:50.130 to exit once you are in it. I'm Casey NOTE Confidence: 0.8853514 00:01:50.130 --> 00:01:52.995 Baylor for 13 news now.