Woke Los Angeles DA George Gascón will NOT prosecute juveniles accused of sexual battery, assault and burglary under his expanded 'restorative justice' program in favor of 'rehabilitation'
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón is expanding a program to drop criminal proceedings against juveniles charged with a range of felonies, according to a leaked memo.
The Restorative Enhanced Diversion for Youth (REDY) program was launched on a pilot basis last month, and Gascón is expanding it to cover a range of felony charges, according to the memo obtained by KTTV reporter Bill Melugin.
Under the expansion, youth would be eligible for 'diversion' after being charged with burglary, assault, vehicle theft, robbery, grand theft person, sexual battery, and arson, according to the memo.
A number of felonies would remain ineligible for diversion, including homicide, forcible rape, gun crimes, and crimes resulting in serious injuries.
'According to this policy, prosecutors in the LA DA office tell me if a juvenile were to follow you home, pull a knife on you, threaten to kill you, then use force to rob you, and they are later arrested, they would be eligible for diversion rather than prosecution,' Melugin wrote in a tweet.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón is expanding a program to drop criminal proceedings against juveniles charged with a range of felonies
The Restorative Enhanced Diversion for Youth (REDY) program was launched as a pilot basis last month, and Gascón is expanding it to cover a range of felony charges
Gascon's latest move drew criticism from some, including venture capitalist David Sacks
The expansion of the REDY program drew outrage from critics, with venture capitalist David Sacks tweeting: 'Gascon works for the criminals, not the people.'
The district attorney's office did not immediately respond to an inquiry from DailyMail.com on Friday afternoon.
Gascón is a progressive prosecutor who has been vocal about his belief that the criminal justice system needs to focus more on intervention and rehabilitation, blasting 'tough on crime' policies as racist and a failure.
'This program will help repair the immense harm that criminal behavior inflicts on our community by giving crime victims the opportunity to actively participate in the restorative justice process,' Gascón said in a statement on the launch of the REDY pilot last month.
'Restorative justice' is a trendy approach to criminal justice that focuses on mediating between the offender and the victim as they discuss the crime, with the goal of achieving some kind of redress for the harms caused by the offense.
For example, the offender could apologize to the victim, or offer to return or replace stolen or damaged property.
Officials with Gascón's office say that the REDY program seeks to 'expand opportunities for young people to be connected with services that support their development while offering opportunities to take accountability for their actions through a process that also supports those who have been hurt and their needs.'
Gascón is a progressive prosecutor who has been vocal about his belief that the criminal justice system needs to focus more on intervention and rehabilitation
Eligible candidates can avoid criminal charges if they participate in programs to 'address the underlying issues that contribute to criminal behavior, such as mental health needs or substance use,' the DA's office said.
Gascón has been outspoken in his belief that tough-on-crime policies are a failure, most recently lamenting that the career criminal accused of killing philanthropist Jaqueline Avant in her home hadn't been properly rehabilitated.
Gascon has lamented that accused killer Aariel Maynor (above) was not properly rehabilitated earlier in his criminal career
Aariel Maynor, 29, was on parole when he was arrested earlier this month and charged with the shocking home-invasion murder in Avant's Beverly Hills mansion.
Maynor served two prison terms of five years and four years on separate robbery convictions, in addition to convictions on domestic violence and grand theft charges.
'As far as we can see, he never received any meaningful intervention that may have helped him set his life on a different path,' Gascon told reporters of the case on Wednesday. 'One that would have prevented the terrible tragedy from occurring.'
'I'm angry at a system that allows a disturbed young man with a proven track record of violent behavior to be cycled in and out of prison with little or no meaning intervention to be able to gain access to an AR-15 military-style weapon and go out and kill Jacqueline Avant,' he said.
The murder of Clarence Avant's 81-year-old philanthropist wife, Jacqueline inside her $7 million Beverly Hills home on December 1 follows a disturbing rise in crime
LA crime is on the upswing, according to police statistics. Homicides are up by 46 percent, car thefts are up 53 percent and shootings have risen by a staggering 51 percent in Los Angeles compared with the same time frame through November 27 of 2019
Los Angeles, like many cities across the country, has witnessed an alarming rise in violent crime over the past two years.
Homicides in the City of Angeles are up 52 percent so far this year from the same period in 2019, and shooting incidents are up 59 percent, according to LAPD data.
The city has also suffered a shocking wave of follow-home robberies and organized smash-and-grab attacks on retailers.
Gascon has been accused of letting dangerous criminals run free as they await their day in court.
On December 2, LA police arrested 14 suspects alleged to have been involved in 11 recent smash-and-grab robberies at stores last month, where nearly $340,000 worth of merchandise was stolen in strikes on an LA Nordstrom, a Lululemon in Studio City, a Fairfax district store, and a CVS pharmacy in South LA.
However, due to city's zero-bail policies, the suspects were all released within hours of being handcuffed and are currently walking the streets while they wait for their cases to go to court.
'If you look at the 14 people arrested, they could have been charged, there could have been bail amounts set, but none of that was done because the district attorney refuses to take a leadership position on this issue,' prosecutor Eric Siddall told Fox, slamming Gascon office's do-nothing approach to the rampant crime wave currently afflicting cities all across the Golden State.
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