Santa Clarita Community Court
The SCCC defendants are utilized in beautification projects once a month to fulfill their community service hours. The Santa Clarita Community Court is a community-based diversion program that provides an alternative to the juvenile justice system for first-time, non-violent juvenile offenders. Juvenile offenders who have committed non-violent petty crimes (i.e., shoplifting, speeding, and vandalism), are sentenced by a judge to perform community service, attend diversion classes, and, if necessary, pay financial penalties. If they complete the program, their crime does not go on their record.
Graffiti Awareness Presentation
The City conducts anti-graffiti awareness presentations to local elementary, junior high, and high school students to educate youth about the consequences of graffiti vandalism, to inspire them to take pride in their City, and to inform them about the City’s Reward Program.
The PowerPoint presentation is youth-oriented, clarifies the difference between graffiti art and graffiti vandals, and spells out the severe consequences for graffiti vandalism, both for the tagger and the community, using interactive questions and answers, animation, engaging, and pictures. The “Tag: You’re It” DVD is also shown in conjunction with the presentation. The DVD includes first-hand testimony from two youth jailed for graffiti vandalism, and their experience in being arrested, convicted, and spending time in jail. The DVD also includes testimony from the mother of a tagger about her family’s experience, as the result of her son being a convicted tagger.
*This comprehensive outreach program includes an educational component for parents – informing them about the signs of a “tagger,” and what to do if they suspect their child may be a “tagger.”
