“A lot of people, when they think of criminal justice, they just think of police officers—people that want to lock you up—not the other side of it."”

MONTICELLO, NY — Mental health services, recreational activities for kids, detox inpatient sites in the county—much of the conversation on Thursday at Savory Sweets on Broadway revolved around what Sullivan County lacks. 
Then again, the room was filled with community-minded people working daily to fill those gaps. 

Officers from the Sullivan County Probation Department, as well as representatives from My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) and the Sullivan County Human Rights Commission (HRC), gathered on Thursday for a monthly conversation that allows young people the opportunity to hear from local law enforcement. Past iterations of the event, called “Cop Café,” have featured the Sullivan County District Attorney Jim Farrell and parole officers. In Thursday’s event, three probation officers described the impact of their jobs—explaining that they inhabit a middle ground between law enforcement and social workers. They also answered questions from young people about the way the probation department works and how to become an officer.

The latter half of the discussion expanded beyond questions of process to become a passionate dialogue about mentorship, race and education.

Probation supervisor Pennie Huber explained to the group recent changes in New York State State law that have raised the age of criminal responsibility to 18—meaning that this is no longer one of only two states where 16 and 17 year olds can be charged as adults. 
Young people are more likely to come to the probation department now, Huber said, where “we put services in place instead of sending you to court… services in alcohol and drugs and mental health.” 

Monticello native and now probation officer Arianna Dacosta said growing up in the area made her want to become an “anchor,” and part of a support system for other young people in the community.  

“A lot of people, when they think of criminal justice, they just think of police officers—people that want to lock you up—not the other side of it, the rehabilitation aspect… the people that actually want to help you,” she said.

Both Dacosta and her colleague Patrick Vinette have been with the probation department less than a year.

They said the probation violations they see most often are for shoplifting and petty larceny. The probation department often does not violate probationers on their first offense for drug use, and instead tries to offer treatment options for rehabilitation. 

“We want to give these individuals an opportunity to better themselves,” Vinette said. “Probation is an opportunity to learn from those mistakes.”

Michael Regen, the MBK coordinator at Monticello High School, asked the officers what they’re missing. Sullivan County, they said, is hurt by its lack of an inpatient detox center for drug users. 

“If we have a 15-year-old that comes in high on opiates, there’s nowhere to send them in this county,” Huber said. She noted the “tremendous” work that Catholic Charities does, but said it’s not enough.

The probation officers were also interested in seeing the conversation go the other way—hearing input and advice from attendees, especially those involved in My Brother’s Keeper. 

MBK in the Monticello School District sprung from a 2014 Barack Obama initiative to encourage civic community leaders to be involved in the lives of young men of color and to address racial injustice.

Several of the boys who came to the cop café— including Rohan Patrick and Collen Barbato—are youth mentors with MBK. 

As the evening went on, the conversation shifted from an information session about the basics of probation—and its difference from parole, for example—to an impassioned discussion about the role of adults in Monticello.

“I think, where we fail a lot as grown adults, as owners and people who run businesses… is that we forgot how we were brought up,” said an MBK volunteer who popped in during the session. “We were brought up with a community that’s working together to make sure we inspire our neighbors.” 

Others in the room agreed, and asked some of the teenagers how they could be better at reaching young people. 

“I would say that [volunteers] should find something interesting about what we’re offering them… it can’t be like, ‘do this packet,’ or ‘do work,’” suggested Barbato. “So, be engaging.” 

Attendees also noted a lack of leisure activities in the area and discussed the importance of education, parenting and the effect of systemic poverty on youth.

Probation officer Vinette took notes as the teens spoke.