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RCOE joins District Attorney Rod Pacheco and other agendies seeking federal grant to combat juvenile crime
RIVERSIDE – The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, recognizing the importance of reaching our youth early to keep them from criminal activity and gang involvement, is
joining with seven other agencies to apply for an $8.4 million federal grant to address that critical need.
The grant would create a project called City of Riverside Empowering (CORE) Youth Alliance in a unified gang-intervention strategy that would work to achieve the following goals: safe
and drug-free schools, reduce dropout and truancy rates, reduce the number of acts of
juvenile delinquency and violence, provide quality mental health and substance abuse
treatment for at-risk youth, increase crime prevention methods, and decrease the number
of juveniles referred into the juvenile justice system.
Should the grant be awarded, the goal for this program is for it to become a blueprint for
one that could be utilized throughout the county. The pilot program would be in the
Riverside Unified School District.
“It is important that we reach the children of Riverside; that we provide a proven successful
intervention program to keep them out of gangs,” Riverside County District Attorney Rod
Pacheco said. “I am happy to be working with Riverside County Superintendant of Schools
Kenn Young, Riverside Unified School Superintendant Rick Miller, Police Chief Russ Leach,
and Probation Chief Alan Crogan on this matter of great importance.”
Riverside County Superintendant Kenneth M. Young addressed the importance of what this
grant would bring to those who need it the most. “This is really about collaboration and
bringing together some of the top professionals in the county from many different agencies
to help at-risk students and their families. The research shows that helping students
establish meaningful connections to responsible adults in schools will help them succeed.
This grant allows us to create and grow those connections for students who are most at
risk.”
School districts countywide are seeing positive results from programs such as Youth
Accountability Teams, which is a key component of the CORE grant.
The Youth Accountability Team concept has been in place in Riverside County since it was
first formed by the District Attorney’s Office in 1997. It is a voluntary diversion program
that is offered to first-time, low-level juvenile offenders and typically deals with the most
difficult and complex students.
The Riverside Unified School District is the only district in the county without Youth
Accountability Teams in place to help combat gangs and juvenile criminal activity. Last year
there were 1,837 juveniles arrested for crimes committed within the city of Riverside, a
staggering 71 percent of those arrests coming during school hours.
“The Riverside Police Department is hopeful and optimistic that we will receive the CORE
Youth Alliance grant in support of a much-needed and long-overdue program for Youth
Accountability Teams in our city,” Riverside Police Chief Russ Leach said.
Riverside Unified School District Superintendant Rick Miller said: “This CORE grant is a
positive way to solve and avert problems. Any program that provides a solution preventing
gang involvement from happening is certainly something we would pursue.”
In the 11 years since its inception, 89 percent of those students completing the YAT
program in western Riverside County had no further contacts with law enforcement and 83
percent in the eastern part of the county had committed no other crimes.
One of thousands of success stories is that of Shelly, a young girl who entered the Lake
Elsinore YAT program during her high school sophomore year following an arrest for
shoplifting a pregnancy kit. While in the program, her family’s mobile home burned in a fire
thought to be the result of a methamphetamine lab explosion. After numerous visits and
supervision from YAT members, Shelly’s grades and demeanor improved and she became
motivated to pursue a career as a firefighter.
“Delinquency prevention is a core responsibility of the Probation Department,” said Chief
Deputy Probation Officer Rick Quinata. “Over the years, youth diversion teams have been
very successful diverting thousands of youngsters from inappropriate behavior, gang
involvement and court intervention. But there are not nearly enough teams or resources
countywide to address the needs of our at-risk, pre-delinquent population.”
Receiving the CORE grant would go a long way toward providing the resources needed to
help the children and teens in the city of Riverside.
The CORE Youth Alliance is a collaboration of the Riverside County Office of Education –
which would be the lead agency – the Riverside Unified School District, the Riverside County
District Attorney’s Office, the Riverside County Probation Department, the Riverside County
Department of Mental Health, Riverside County Superior Court’s juvenile division, the
Riverside Police Department, and Riverside County Child Protective Services.
Funding for 28 such grants is available across the United States and comes from the U.S.
Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S.
Department of Justice.
The request for the CORE Youth Alliance grant was submitted last month and the
announcement of awards is expected in July.
For information contact:
Rick Peoples,
Public Information Officer
Telephone: (951) 826-6642
Fax: (951) 826-6199
rpeoples@rcoe.us
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