Connecticut Criminal Lawyer Blog

The Youthful Offender Program (YO) is available to you if you have been charged with a crime and you are under the age of 18. As a caveat, this program is not a pretrial diversionary program, like Accelerated Rehabilitation (see my other blog on this program) but rather an alternative to prosecution youths. All 16- and 17- year-old defendants are presumed
to be eligible for YO status. As always, there are exemptions. You are not eligible if you have been charged with certain felonies, have already been convicted of a felony on the adult
docket, or have been adjudicated as a serious juvenile offender.

Upon the adjudication of you as a youthful offender, the court may (1) commit you, (2) impose a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, (3) impose a sentence of conditional discharge or a sentence of unconditional discharge, (4) impose a sentence of community service, (5) impose a sentence to a term of imprisonment not greater than that authorized by the crime committed by the defendant but in no case for more than four years, (6) impose a sentence and suspend the execution of the sentence, entirely or after a period set by the court, (7) order treatment
pursuant to section 17a-699, or (8) if a criminal docket for drug-dependent persons has been established pursuant to section 51-181b in the judicial district in which the defendant was adjudicated a youthful offender, transfer the supervision of the defendant to the court handling such docket.

Records and proceedings of young persons are confidential and Youthful Offender adjudications are not deemed convictions. There is no fee for the youthful offender program. This was just an overview of the program and does not contain certain details. Always consult with an attorney when charged with a crime.