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Ethan Miller / Las Vegas Sun
Matt Riddle, left, Juven Coronado, center, and Philip Elemile build a memorial for their friend Alberto Puig, 16, on southbound Interstate 15, Tuesday, March 21, 2000. On Sunday, March 19, 2000, Puig was one of six teen workers picking up trash in the median who were killed when they were struck by a minivan driven by 20-year-old Jessica Williams. The teens were picking up trash as part of a program administered by the Clark County Department of Family and Youth Services to atone for minor crimes.
Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2011 | 2 a.m.
In 2000, several local teens were picking up trash along Interstate 15 while working off sentences for Juvenile Court infractions. Jessica Williams, 20, under the influence of drugs, fell asleep at the wheel and plowed into the teens on the highway median. Six died, five at the scene and another hours later at University Medical Center. Since then, picking up trash along the highway is no longer a community service performed by youths. In addition to the clean up of foreclosed homes as reported in today’s Las Vegas Sun, these are some of the community services implemented by the Clark County Juvenile Justice Services Department for offenders working off their court-ordered sentences:
Photo by Leila Navidi
Homeless Connect
Project Homeless Connect, formerly the Homeless Stand Down, is an annual event coordinated and sponsored by various Southern Nevada organizations. Aimed to give the homeless the help and hope they need to get off the streets, the event setup and cleanup is assisted by youth performing community service.
Photo by Leila Navidi
National Night Out
There’s no better place for a juvenile offender to be than at a crime prevention party. At “National Night Out: America’s Night Out Against Crime,” teens assist with setup and cleanup of various events across the valley.
Photo by Tiffany Brown
Thanksgiving basket delivery
If you were a senior citizen selected by Clark County to receive a Thanksgiving food basket, chances are your delivery person was a youth performing community service. Teens under the direction of Kevin Niday of the Gang Intervention Team delivered more than 100 baskets last November.
Photo by Christopher DeVargas
Neighborhood Pride Zones
Neighborhood Pride Zones were created for communities to organize and interact with neighbors and county government. Grants of up to $1,000 are available with a 100 percent match. The money can be used for neighborhood cleanup and landscaping, cultural awareness, health, safety, recreational and educational programming. Youths are involved in the cleanup and landscaping and assist with painting house numbers on the curbs.
Photo by Justin M. Bowen
Graffiti abatement
Clark County’s graffiti abatement program assists with the removal of graffiti from residential properties. Upon request, the county will provide paint so property owners can cover minor graffiti vandalism, and assist with removal when graffiti vandalism is extensive. The program requires property-owner permission before graffiti can be removed or covered.
Photo by Heather Cory
Senior advocate
The Clark County senior advocate program coordinates and disseminates information on providing assistance to valley seniors who are unable to perform yard work. Those who need moving services can request assistance from the county and may find that a group of teens shows up to do the job.
Photo by Justin M. Bowen
Clark County community and recreational centers
When a center hosts an event such as a community Easter egg hunt, it calls on juveniles to perform cleaning, yard work and various tasks to assist before and after the events.
Photo by Steve Marcus
Camp Lee
Summer camps are offered for children and teens at Camp Lee Canyon at Mount Charleston. The camp was hit by several snowstorms last year and some caused trees to fall in the area. Youth were sent to assist with the cleanup and help move logs.
Thank You Las Vegas Sun, for publishing the other avenues that youth on probation are performing their community service. This is an important component in the public's understanding towards their perception of the Department of Corrections, and its many branches, and why it is important to not haphazardly CUT budgets without knowing how this will effect the public outside prison walls.
Sometimes, all these people ever needed was a chance in our society. It is far harder and more costly to deal with people in this condition rather than our society be proactive.
So, what happened to Jessica Williams? I hope she got a life sentence.
Let the little criminals try this... Have them paint over the graffiti that they or their cohorts painted. Pick up the trash in the empty lots that are full of paper, plastic bottles, and nameless other items. I know this will rehab. them. ha. Now try this... use a cane and see how many little criminals, wants to commit a crime then.