South Lee to get youth justice program

The Bonita Springs through San Carlos Park area is the last pocket of Lee County without an alternative justice program aimed at helping children make amends to their victims.

That soon will be remedied.

A Neighborhood Accountability Board will be instituted for the area as of July 1 — a result of grant money to create this juvenile pretrial diversion program, said Nora Donato-Hitchcock, a Neighborhood Accountability Board coordinator with the county’s Department of Human Services. The board — composed of local volunteers — meets with children, their parents or guardians and victims to develop an individualized plan for the children to complete so they can make amends to those they have victimized.

This type of juvenile court diversion program was created in Lee County five years ago. Donato-Hitchcock said they seek volunteers from Bonita Springs, Estero and San Carlos Park to serve on the board.

“Then we’ll have all of Lee County covered,” she said.

These boards meet with children and their parents and guardians when they are pulled out of juvenile court cases. Instead of facing criminal felonies or misdemeanors — and court-imposed sanctions — children attend a conference with board members, their parents and their victims. An individual plan is created for each child, delineating what they must do to make amends. The children have 90 days after signing off on their plans to complete each task.

If they complete the program, their juvenile court cases will be dropped. They will have charges on file, but won’t be adjudicated.

If they don’t complete the program, they go back to court to be prosecuted. Donato-Hitchcock said she and the other coordinator oversee more than 150 children in the program.