The ACLU is suing a California county for putting students on criminal probation for 'poor academics'

Schoolchildren.
(Image credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Law enforcement in Riverside County, California, is coming under fire for its Youth Accountability Team, which places "at-risk" children who have committed no crimes on probation, The Appeal reports.

The program, also known as YAT, takes discipline out of the hands of local schools and keeps a close eye on students who are suspected to be "pre-delinquent" or "delinquent." Students can be referred to YAT for substance abuse and gang association, but also for "poor academics" and "school discipline problems." The ACLU filed a lawsuit against Riverside County last week, explaining that the program went beyond its mission of preventing juvenile crime by essentially criminalizing young students for "typical childhood misbehavior."

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.