Community Corner

Volunteers Needed for New Juvenile Review Board

Board's mission is to keep youth out of the juvenile justice system for as long as possible.

The town is ready to establish its new Juvenile Review Board and is looking for volunteers to serve on the panel.  

The Juvenile Review board is a collaborative effort organized under the auspices of New Haven Family Alliance, Inc. and Hamden Youth Service Bureau, and is funded by the town of Hamden.

The Legislative Counicil earlier this year approved the concept of the board. Read Hamden Patch coverage of that .

Find out what's happening in Hamdenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“The Hamden Juvenile Review Board is community-based and founded on the principles of Balanced and Restorative Justice," said Kyisha Velazquez, New Haven Family Alliance’s JRB Program Manager. "These principles include accountability, competency and public safety."  

The Hamden JRB will assist youth in developing an understanding of how their behavior harmed both the individual who was the subject of the offense and the community in which he or she lives, Velazquez said, and acknowledge that the behavior was harmful to themselves and to others, both directly and indirectly.  

Find out what's happening in Hamdenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The JRB also enables youth to take action to repair the harm, either directly where possible or indirectly, she said.  Through this process, the JRB assists the youth in developing competencies that will enable them to effect necessary changes in their behavior to avoid re-offending in the future.  

"Balanced and Restorative Justice recognizes that crime is a wound and that justice should be healing,” Velazquez said.

The JRB will consist of two panels of seven members each, comprised of three agency representatives and four volunteer community representatives, according to Susan Rubino, Hamden Youth Service Bureau’s coordinator. The agency representatives will come from the Hamden Police Department, the Hamden Board of Education and DCF, she said, while the volunteer community representatives will live or work in Hamden.  

"These community accountability panel members are individuals vested in the successful future of our youth," Rubino said, "therefore, they participate in a resolution to the incident which does not further harm any of those affected.”

The Hamden JRB has scheduled two information sessions for anyone interested in volunteering to serve on the panel. The first will be held on Thursday, Aug. 11 from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. at the Keefe Community Center, Room - Lounge, 11 Pine St., and the second will be on Tuesday, Aug. 16, from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. at Hamden High School, Room C107, 2400 Dixwell Ave.  

Anyone interested in learning more about the JRB and/or being a community volunteer is asked to attend one of the information sessions or contact Velazquez at New Haven Family Alliance, Inc. at 203-786-5970 or Susan Rubino at Hamden Youth Service Bureau at 203-777-2610.  


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here