Juvenile Delinquency Adjudication Appropriate to Ensure Residential Supervision

The First Department determined Family Court had properly adjudicated the appellant a juvenile delinquent, despite the relatively minor offense, because the appellant was in need of residential supervision:

The court properly exercised its discretion in adjudicating appellant a juvenile delinquent. Although the underlying offense was not serious, appellant was in need of a residential, nonsecure placement under the Close to Home Initiative program. The court properly declined to adjudicate appellant a person in need of supervision … , particularly since appellant had already demonstrated, following a prior proceeding brought by her mother, that such a disposition would not control appellant’s behavior. Accordingly, a juvenile delinquency adjudication was necessary to ensure appellant’s compliance with residential treatment. “[T]he irony is presented that while the court may direct the PINS youth not to abscond, the statutory authority constraining the court essentially precludes an effective remedy should the youth abscond” … . Matter of Amari D, 2014 NY Slip Op 03452, 1st Dept 5-13-14