BOISE, Idaho — Keeping juveniles out of the justice system is the goal of the Bridge Youth and Family Resource Center.
Police Chief Ron Winegar, Governor Brad Little, and other local and state officials cut the ribbon on the new youth center on Monday providing local law enforcement an alternative to charging a minor.
This new outlet provides officers with a referral system as opposed to a police report. This offers youth and their families access to community resources and other assistance to solve issues with the law and avoid future encounters with Idaho's justice system.
"We wanted the police to be able to say rather than just sending a police report to have this child charged, let's refer them to the center," said Alison Tate, director of juvenile service for Ada County. "It's expensive to incarcerate a child or an adult, so we hope that by starting to provide services, resources, and pro-social activities for kids early, we won't have them enter in the system in the first place."
The referral system is already being used, and police leaders say it's already making a difference in their departments.
"If there is a way to divert early and get resources to them and their family, we can often prevent future involvement and that's the goal of an establishment like this. A service like this," said Winegar. "...have a chance to divert them away to a place that can give them services so we can avoid their involvement with law enforcement in the long term. That's a win for everybody."
