4-24-2007

I went to an arraignment today that lasted over an hour (normally they're 15 minutes TOPS), included seven defendants and opened with a private meeting.

During the court hearing, a woman stood before the judge and said: I'm NOT guilty of this crime, but I'll go ahead and PLEAD guilty to make it all just go away.

The seven defendants were part of a brand new program launched throughout the city. All seven defendants were PARENTS of children who were caught out after the city-wide curfew over spring break and, as part of the new system, were cited for failing to supervise a minor.

Leading up to Spring Break, local cops introduced the policy that if kids were out too late, moms and dads would get the citation. The idea is that crimes like theft and vandalism jump when kids are out of school. The cops say they need help from parents in keeping an eye on kids when school is out to keep crime down.

The program didn't go over very well with the folks in court. That first mother I mentioned stood before the judge and said in a tone of exasperation that her teen-age son was staying with relatives at the time while she worked Monday-Saturday from 10PM-7AM. She had NO IDEA he was even out and could not have controlled him even if she did.

Toinette Foster, another mom facing the court, spoke with me after the proceedings and said her 13-year-old son was busted on his first nighttime outing flying solo (without an adult). He was celebrating his birthday when several cops boarded a MAX train on which he was riding. She says he's a good kid, has never been in trouble and thinks the court proceedings were a bit unnecessary for her situation . . . particularly because she didn't receive notice of the curfew until AFTER her son was busted (she points out that some families really do need help with parenting and the program could be an asset for them). When I spoke with her son about whether he felt bad that his mom had to go to court on his behalf . . . he said no.

The parents and kids met with a rep from the DA's office and some parenting class reps before the hearing. That meeting was closed to the press but, from what I could gather, officials discussed the various parenting program options available to the parents and explained the importance of obeying curfew laws.

None of the people cited faced actual jail time (citations only carry fines). All seven were referred to a free parenting program. A second citation carries a seven hundred and twenty dollar fine plus MANDATORY parenting classes.