Providence City Council Meeting - June 9, 2026: Juvenile Hearing Board Expansion Ordinance
Providence City Council Meeting - June 9, 2026: Juvenile Hearing Board Expansion Ordinance
The Providence City Council held a regular meeting on June 9, 2026, primarily to discuss and vote on a proposed ordinance expanding referrals to the Juvenile Hearing Board (JHB), a restorative justice alternative to traditional prosecution. Councilmembers and public speakers highlighted racial disparities in referrals and the need for objective criteria.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Alison Barry, speaking on behalf of the Jupiter Board Ordinance of the School Art, expressed full support for the JHB expansion, arguing it would help youth of color avoid the school-to-prison pipeline and allow them to correct mistakes through restorative practices rather than punitive measures.
- Alan Savera, a senior high school student, testified in favor, stating that youth should be given a chance to make amends without harsh long-term consequences and called for removal of police from the school discipline process.
- A former member of the JHB (the GHP) shared personal experience, emphasizing that the board's process is powerful when young people see community members who look like them. They urged the council to expand eligibility and trust the restorative process.
- Multiple other speakers, including a parent and a social worker, shared stories of youth benefiting from second chances and urged passage of the ordinance.
Discussion Items
- Juvenile Hearing Board Expansion Ordinance: Councilmember (likely Chest) presented statistics showing that in 2023, 379 youth were arrested in Providence; 115 were eligible for JHB referral under state law, but only a small fraction were actually referred. In 2024, 300 arrests occurred, 205 eligible, and only 33 referred. In 2025, 331 arrests, 138 eligible, and only 27 referred. These numbers indicate severe underutilization.
- Councilmember Chest explained that current referral decisions are purely discretionary, leading to inconsistency and too many youth denied a second chance. The proposed ordinance establishes clear, objective eligibility criteria (excluding domestic violence and certain serious offenses) while retaining some discretion for the police chief. It also mandates referral for eligible cases.
- Councilmember Chest noted that night-time arrests have almost zero referrals, and discussions with police leadership have been unproductive. He believes the ordinance will ensure fairness and remove bias from the referral process.
- Other councilmembers voiced strong support, noting personal experiences with second chances, racial disparities in the justice system, and the cost savings of keeping youth out of the training school (detention). One councilmember remarked that many white youth with privilege receive second chances while youth of color do not.
- Councilmember Peterson added that the JHB helps keep youth out of the school-to-prison pipeline and reduces the number of youth in the training school from 225 in past years to under 50 recently.
Key Outcomes
- The council voted on the ordinance: a motion to approve was made by Councilmember Peterson and seconded by Councilmember Swan. After discussion, the motion passed with all in favor and no objections or abstentions recorded. The ordinance is now adopted.
- Earlier in the meeting, a motion to take on board public comment was also approved unanimously.
- Other items on the agenda (item number three regarding budget cuts and item number four relating to the 2046 plan) were discussed briefly but no final votes were recorded in the transcript.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you, Mr. This audience. And I say that this is the reason why this one introduced along with other colleagues to protect our things of all. Since then, general students has been also as a document with waiting to be signed by the public. Question. So please after yes, or is it well? So it wasn't yes, I wasn't done in the state law on the web requirements in law to see in town to have to um disposal season town in January 2008. However, this would be probably editing. Maybe it's actually names, please have thank you. Um I'd like to also uh motion to uh take some items on board uh motion. So uh we'll take the item uh of uh public comment for example. There's uh motion by uh school and second by council. Any further discussion? Thank you. Everybody all in favor? Thank you. Um before it's a public comment on the issue before is anyone signed up to speak ahead of the eye of that what do they have to do? Thank you. If you want to ask me that if you would like to speak anything that's you can uh step forward it and uh sign it. I see um basically that's what we're just well asking the micro standard. The first person for us to speak on the public comment is there. Well is data. What I will say. Good afternoon. My name is Alison Barry speaking on behalf of the Jupiter Board Ordinance of the School Art of But I just want to say that we meet the city council. Like I said, my name is Alan Savera, and I am senior high school, I think we're on the along with that. Um I can testify and support less important related to the report because this could help as many people that takes you from that takes you with color. That's an extent of that taking color or even general from school from school straight to incarceration. Youth should be given the chance to correct mistake or wrongdoing through sort of practices rather than human punishments. It will allow them to continue to rise with that same director that is not reflecting the opportunity for youth and providence should be allowed to be considered holistically one another to help them change their lives either. Also, removing the police removing the power from the police labor historically authority, the disapproach experiment, and on my community would be a huge step forward in dismantling what the ACLD calls the school hype, which they define as a systemic train for children, particularly youth, particularly youth and markers communities or disabled youth, are funded out of the public school and into the juvenile and justice systems. It is driven by these calls, it's driven by certain house policies and increased increased in school policy policing and the proposation of the whole adults of the I also care to deliver testimonies on behalf of other youth leaders of us. If you want to give you the resources to the ground, then they should not be forced to suffer wrongful. It would not be fair to send you directly to the board since that is only right. It is important to give mine with the opportunity to make up for the mistakes without working on the level. And lastly, uh we're on the central studies and automatically juvenile report to ensure that just be scalable by system design of the month. And when it's harsh long-term functions and impact on your personal future, I'm also practicing that. If you have a great standard. I'd like to first thank the sponsors of these proposed events by the councilmate sketch. I also extend my thanks to the rest of the council who showed up today as part of the recommendations for this digital. Thank you for being here. As a life of all the problems present passional solutions, and second action, I had the privilege of serving the city in several capacities. I am here today, however, to share testimony as a former member of the Province 2, also known as the GHP, which I first joined after 2016 during its resurrection. And later on this year to 2005. 2017 was a time when there was real concerns about whether it's more as well. With the city beliefs and capabilities, and our efforts were keeping improved for four. I remember when our collaboration of the city council wasn't very interesting. And how much of our partnership of the police department has improved over these last few years. And here we are maybe a career and change these problems. And we have found ourselves at a bit of a cross-production, and I believe we'll determine whether we change more team on the character of success.
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