Definition and Eligibility Requirements
“The Youthful Offender Act (YOA) is an indeterminate sentence of up to six years for offenders age 17 through 25” (DOC). The eligibility requirements for YOA are that the offender must meet the age requirement at the time of conviction and have no other YOA convictions. The offenses must meet certain requirements as well. The offenses are limited to “non-violent, Class D felonies or lesser offenses, punishable by 15 years of imprisonment or less, with two exceptions: second-degree burglary, violent, and lewd act upon a child under very limited circumstances” (DOC). Upon completion of the program, a Youthful Offender may have their record expunged within five …show more content…
According to the Department of Probation, Pardon, and Parole services there were a total of 629 admissions under the Youthful Offender Act in 2013 (SCDPPS). Of those admissions, 94% was male with 4% being female. In terms of ethnicity, 67% were black, 32% white, and 1% other (SCDPPS). There are four levels of supervision; standard, medium, high, and intensive. There is also a special category for sex offenders. Of those levels the statistics are 805 offenders for standard supervision, 230 for medium supervision, and 502 for high supervision, 73 for intensive supervision, and 26 for sex offender supervision, totaling 1,636 active offenders (SCDPPS). Now where it really matters…the success rates! For the state total there were 615 successful completions with 377 unsuccessful cases …show more content…
In this article Ginny Barr, who oversees the Intensive Supervision program at the Department of Corrections, states that ''It's about trying to save these young people and prevent them from reoffending'' (Kinnard). When the offender arrives in prison they are assigned a job/task that could lead them to a career outside of prison like woodworking, art, plumbing, or carpentry. Bill Byars, who is the director of South Carolina’s prisons agency, stated ''It is a cheaper program than incarcerating them. We will eventually save millions of dollars”