CARMEL – Members of Putnam County Youth Court continued their training by visiting the county’s Bureau of Emergency Services and 9-1-1 Center Friday, learning about the vital role first responders perform throughout Putnam County and the entire region.
Youth court members witnessed dispatchers in action while receiving education about the various tasks fulfilled to coordinate emergency services.
County Director of Emergency Medicine Robert Cuomo explained about the training first responders must undertake while offering simulated scenarios that prepare personnel to act during a crisis.
Putnam’s Youth Court is one of the most active in New York State.
When the county youth court was founded in 1987 by the late Sam Oliverio Sr. of Putnam Valley and the late Michael Semo of Patterson, fewer than 50 existed nationwide. Today more than 1,600 youth courts exist from Maine to California with more than 200,000 active members.
In Putnam, under the direction of Director Dana Erickson and her staff, students go through a 10-session training where they learn about the criminal justice system, practice a mock trial, observe criminal court proceedings in Carmel Town Court, receive a tour of the sheriff’s department and county correctional facility, in addition to hearing from many prominent experts across the county including District Attorney Robert Tendy, Defense Attorney Joseph Tock, members of the Carmel and Kent law enforcement community as well as the county’s probation department.
Youth court is funded by Putnam County and the State Office of Children and Families and allows young people charged with violations and misdemeanors to appear before their peers.
Since its inception in Putnam, nearly 1,600 students have become members of youth court, handling more than 800 cases that allow defendants to own up to their own crimes and avoid having a criminal record.
Comments