From left: Orangewood social worker Laura Caballero, YAC graduates Je’Juan and Noah, social worker Yehudah Pryce, YAC graduate Salvador, Orange County Superior Court Judge Maria Hernandez and Professor Elizabeth Cauffman.
Latest participants complete program, become felony free
Before four young men became the 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd graduates of the Orange County Young Adult Court (YAC) and had their felony convictions expunged from their records earlier this month, Judge Maria Hernandez stressed the importance of the program.
“The research shows there are over 47,000 collateral consequences to a felony conviction on an individual, including that you can’t get a dog-walking license if you have a felony on your record,” she told her courtroom full of witnesses including law enforcement officers, attorneys, educators, social workers, community members and elected officials.
YAC is a collaborative court for first-time felony offenders between the ages of 18 and 25. Launched in Orange County as a pilot project in August 2018, it is one of few such courts in the country. It was created through the efforts of Elizabeth Cauffman, professor of psychological science; Orange County Superior Court Judge and UCI alumna Maria Hernandez; Cauffman’s former postdoctoral student Zachary Rowan, assistant professor of criminology at Simon Fraser University in Canada; the Orange County Probation Department; the Orange County Public Defender and Defense Bar; the Orange County District Attorney’s Office; and the Orangewood Foundation.
The latest YAC graduates testified at their March 24 hearing that the program has changed their lives for the better.
“I've come so far from where I was at when I started this program,” said Noah, after his social workers and attorneys praised him for his efforts. “Before this program, I was an addict who was only interested in living day to day and I had a habit of taking things that weren't mine to sustain my drug addiction. … I got lucky that I got arrested for this crime because it gave me the chance to get into this program and change my life around. I had no goals before I came into this program. YAC helped me create goals. This program helped me initially get sober and supported me staying sober. Because of this, I was able to regain all my family's trust back, which eventually led to a job opportunity in the family business. YAC helped me become a person that my family could be proud of. Because of YAC, I have now been sober for a year and six months.”
Noah’s fellow graduate, Salvador, told a similar story.
“When I first came into Young Adult Court, they told me I needed to have a set of goals,” he testified. “At first, it was hard for me because I never thought I would be setting goals for myself given the situation I was in. … The first goal I set up was getting my birth certificate – this was a very complicated and a huge goal to accomplish. After getting my birth certificate, we moved on to getting my driver’s license and I achieved that. After that, I decided to attend Fullerton College. I majored in criminal justice but after the pandemic I stopped going for a bit. But, I want to continue in that same major and hopefully do that soon. … What young men in this program who are just starting should know is choose your friends wisely and if your mom gives you certain advice about people or things you shouldn’t do – listen to her because I didn’t and look where it got me. Another thing is don’t feel embarrassed to seek guidance or a helping hand that can give you that push to get you to a better part of your life. Don’t take it for granted or think that the judge is lying to you about the stuff she says because I thought that at first but today I found out that none of it was a lie and look what I accomplished and where I am today – felony free.”
One of the most consequential incentives of participating in YAC is the reduction of a felony charge to a misdemeanor or the complete dismissal of the felony charge. The program consists of developing a “youth action plan,” which lays out all the steps participants must complete such as attending all court hearings, meeting with probation officers and case managers, getting substance and/or alcohol abuse treatment, mental health counseling, employment and education advice and following through.
The detrimental effects of treating young adult offenders to harsh sanctioning disrupts their human and social capital, which can generate substantial inequalities among young adults exposed to the criminal justice system, Cauffman said.
“The damage associated with official sanctioning and collateral consequences for 18- to 25-year-olds is particularly startling when we consider the fact that these individuals have a significant portion of their lives still ahead of them,” she explained. “This is not only important for the youth, but for our community as a whole. If we want these youth to be productive members of our society, we cannot saddle them with a label that limits their opportunities. If you want your community safe, if you want good outcomes, you need to invest now to make a change in the future.”
YAC “is exactly what social justice is about,” Cauffman said. “We need to hold people accountable but in developmentally appropriate ways.”
The detrimental effects of treating young adult offenders to harsh sanctioning disrupts their human and social capital, which can generate substantial inequalities among young adults exposed to the criminal justice system, she added.
“The damage associated with official sanctioning and collateral consequences for 18- to 25-year-olds is particularly startling when we consider the fact that these individuals have a significant portion of their lives still ahead of them,” Cauffman explained. “This is not only important for the youth, but for our community as a whole. If we want these youth to be productive members of our society, we cannot saddle them with a label that limits their opportunities. If you want your community safe, if you want good outcomes, you need to invest now to make a change in the future.”
— Mimi Ko Cruz
Estrella News coverage of March 24 YAC graduation
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