Alleged teen thief is unlikely to be tried as an adult

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Last month, a local teen was reportedly caught red-handed in a stealing spree at Riverdale restaurants — twice.

But William Muller, 16, is probably not heading to prison.

While police labeled the suspect a “bad guy” and a “thief” in Twitter posts during their two-month search for him, New York’s juvenile justice system is taking a gentler approach.

Authorities have diverted him from Bronx Criminal Court, where state law allows him to be tried as an adult, to a pilot program in which the judge can invoke youth-specific sentencing options, including community service.

That could mean William’s larceny charges, including two alleged felonies, eventually will be removed from his record.

The program, called Adolescent Diversion Parts (ADP) is designed to reduce the number of youths tried as adults in the state. About 40,000 to 50,000 minors ages 16 and 17 are processed as adults in the state’s criminal justice system each year, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s office. New York is one of just two states that tries 16 year olds in adult criminal court. The other state is North Carolina.

“Instead of packing someone off to Rikers, outside programs can help young people caught in the act who don’t want a felony on their record,” said Rev. Wendy Calderon Payne, the executive director of Urban Youth Alliance International (UYAI), an extra-judicial program seeking better outcomes for youths “who are not deemed a danger to their communities.”

In New York, trying 16 and 17 year olds in adult criminal courts can lead to a downward spiral. But Rev. Payne said that in addition to helping minors secure better career options and mental health, alternative-to-incarceration (ATI) programs like the one that will process William can save the justice system money and prison space.

“New York actually has a very strong juvenile justice movement,” said Rev. Payne.

juvenile justice, Adolescent Diversion Parts, larceny, Blackstone Bar and Grill, William Muller, Nic Cavell
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