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For three young men, Friday marked the beginning of a new chapter of their lives this one, unmarked by the felonies they were charged with.
The Orange County Young Adult Court, a collaborative court for first-time nonviolent felony offenders between the ages of 18 and 23, graduated three of its initial 25 participants late Friday afternoon with tearful goodbyes before Orange County Superior Court Judge Maria Hernandez reduced or dismissed their convictions.
Hernandez said that she wished that everyone who had a hand in the cases could be present in-person, but that current restrictions forbid it as COVID-19 cases continue to grow in Orange County.
As more inmates are released from Orange County jails, they face reentering a community besieged by a deadly virus and an economic crisis.
Securing a job and stable housing as an ex-convict was no easy feat even prior to the pandemic.
Now, the task is all the more daunting as employment opportunities dwindle and support services that were once provided are suspended.
“A lot of the jobs that people get when they are trying to reenter society are not there, so it’s more difficult for these people to get back on their feet,” said Deputy Public Defender Bobby Waltman. “And if they can’t get back on their feet, they’re back in that cycle of desperation that leads to crime.”