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Syracuse youth court reports high completion rate; council signals support for one-year contract renewal
Summary
The city’s youth support coordinator told the council the Syracuse youth court completed most cases in the 2024–25 school year and described restorative programs and partner classes. Council members praised the program and staff proposed renewing the coordinator’s contract for one year, 11/01/2025–10/31/2026.
Michelle, the Syracuse youth support coordinator, told the council at the Oct. 28 work session that the youth court handled 96 cases during the 2024–25 school year and that only one participant did not complete the process after choosing to fight the charge in juvenile court. She said West Point cases made up roughly 4–5% of the caseload.
"The majority of our cases are speeding cases," Michelle said, and she described delinquency matters as the next-largest category: "We had 44 of those, and the majority of those are simple assault, possession of marijuana, theft ... property damage, and juvenile curfew." She told the council two people declined to participate after learning about the process and one did not complete it; otherwise, participants completed the program.
Michelle described the program as a restorative-justice alternative to formal juvenile court, with youth-led classes on peer pressure and goal-setting and officer-led sessions on traffic and substance abuse. She said the youth court partners with the Syracuse Police Department and the county health department and that adult volunteers assist the program. "We like to give the youth participants parent hours ... whether that's family time, whether that's cooking," she said, as examples of restorative activities.
Council members expressed support for the coordinator and discussed extending the contract. City staff said the original contract with "Michelle" was entered in 2023 and expires Oct. 31, 2025; paragraph 6 of the contract allows renewal for up to one additional year. Staff proposed renewing the contract on the same terms for 11/01/2025 through 10/31/2026. Members spoke in favor of the coordinator's work but noted the appointment must be reviewed periodically.
No formal roll-call vote on the renewal appears in the transcript; council discussion indicated consensus to pursue a one-year renewal and to place related municipal-code changes for the youth court on the consent agenda.
Council members and staff said a more detailed annual report and additional program data will be distributed by the end of the year.
