Arizona law enforcement learns about Watsonville’s youth diversion programs

Law enforcement agencies from Arizona are in Watsonville tonight, learning about some successful programs they can bring back home.

Pinal County is in Central Arizona, between Phoenix and Tucson. Sheriff Mark Lamb and his colleagues are on the Central Coast to learn about Watsonville Police’s ‘Pathways to Success’ program, aimed at Watsonville kids, between 10-17 years old, who have committed their first misdemeanor offense.

“This program is a program that is offered for youth who commit their first offense, a non-violent or a misdemeanor, who instead of being routed through your typical justice process, where you trigger the probation department, the youth have an opportunity to participate in our program that provides them with counseling services, community support, community service and restore their place in the community to avoid them going into the justice system,” said Erica Padilla-Chavez, CEO of Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance.

Sheriff Lamb wanted to get ahead of the problem and implement some kind of diversion program for the juveniles in his jurisdiction, and was told about Watsonville’s program.

“We have crime, we’ve got assaults, we’ve got theft, we’ve got drug charges, DUI’s we have all those among our youth,” said Lamb. “We are fortunate not to have a lot of homicides among the youth, I’m not going to say that hasn’t happened, and so we’re always looking for ways to eliminate that.

Watsonville and Santa Cruz County leaders created this program years ago, knowing you can’t arrest your way out of the problem. It’s something even more important in Watsonville, where the youth make up a large part of the community. According to police, 30-percent of the city’s population is under 19 years old, which is why they say it is important to invest in the youth.

“We know that when youth have an opportunity to correct their behaviors, that that’s going to translate to long life success,” Padilla-Chavez said. “We know from this research that when youth enter the justice system the chances of them achieving that same success decreases, so the effort of keeping the kids out of the justice system will ensure the lifelong success of that person, that young person, and prevent the further need for more expensive care for that person when they become an adult and possibly continue being part of the now adult justice system.”

From April 2012 to this past December, more than 400 juveniles have been accepted into the program, with 84-percent successfully completing it. 58 juveniles did re-offend within six months.

However, the city has seen a decrease in violent crime over the last few years.

“Part of it is the enforcement, heavy focused enforcement on gangs and youth violence,” said Chief David Honda. “But that’s not successful unless you have the other alternative and the intervention programs that we partner with, with our nonprofits, our faith based organizations and other government entities.”

Other law enforcement agencies in Arkansas and Nebraska have also expressed interest in learning more about Watsonville’s Pathways to Success.