Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson announced on Friday, May 6 the creation of a Young Adult Bureau that will operate in the newly-formed Brooklyn Young Adult Court, in partnership with the Office of Court Administration and the Center for Court Innovation.
According to Thompson, the new specialized court – the first in New York State – will handle all misdemeanor cases of defendants between the ages of 16 and 24. In addition, it will offer risk-needs assessments, counseling and other services tailored to young adults, including substance abuse, mental health, anger management, GED, vocational and internship programs.
“Young adult offenders who enter the criminal justice system are at a higher risk of re-offending after being incarcerated,” said Thompson . “Many return to our society, not rehabilitated, but as hardened criminals. Recognizing that, our office, in partnership with the Center for Court Innovation, applied for a grant and created a specialized Brooklyn Young Adult Bureau that will offer young misdemeanor offenders who may be facing incarceration the appropriate help and services they may need to help set them on the right path and avoid a prison sentence.”
The Brooklyn Young Adult Court will begin operations out of Brooklyn Criminal Court, 120 Schermerhorn Street. The new bureau will be headed by Bureau Chief Johanne Macajoux and consist of several district attorneys, two paralegals and a project coordinator.
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