“Kids are kids,” said Jeffrey Miner, chairman of Warwick’s Juvenile Hearing Board.

After working as an educator in Warwick Public Schools for 35 years, as well as serving on the juvenile hearing board since its inception 23 years ago, Miner would know.

Although Miner noted that every generation shares an “oh, these kids today” sentiment, children themselves haven’t actually changed much.

“Inherently, kids are still the same. They are not deliberately trying to make other’s lives hard or going out of their way to cause problems,” he said. “They are just young and can make mistakes and use poor judgment.”

The Warwick Juvenile Hearing Board was established in 1992 and formed in early 1993 to deal with children who may have used poor judgment to address the concern, have them redeem themselves in some way, and hopefully get them “back on track.”

Miner said the Juvenile Hearing Board is a way to divert youth away from the system and family court, where they may leave with a record. The board doesn’t receive severe cases, but rather those in which a “good kid” made a “boneheaded mistake,” such as underage drinking, shoplifting or marijuana use.

The board, which is a one-time opportunity for youth, tries to discuss the incident and what led up to it, to give a child time to think about what they have done, how to make better decisions in the future, and make some form of retribution to the community.

Mayor Scott Avedisian, who participated in establishing the board while on the City Council, said the idea of a Juvenile Hearing Board came from a statewide desire to “empower” communities to improve condition for local youth. He said it is easier to divert children from entering the system altogether than trying to help them navigate within it, to address problems before they manifest in a more serious way.

“We wanted to address the why,” Avedisian said. “Why was this child acting out? We wanted to take these kids going down a wrong path and create a community around them to get them moving in the right direction.”

He and Miner believe the board, which meets twice a month, has been overly successful over the past 23 years. The board sees only youth who admit to the crime, are open to discuss it, are ready to deal with the consequences, and “know they have made a mistake and want to rectify it.”

Miner said most children are embarrassed, upset and disappointed in themselves.

If they could take their actions back they would, but they instead have to focus on “where to go from here.”

Personally, Miner said he likes to focus on the positive during the meeting and to reassure children they can get back on track.

“It’s the game of life and you stepped out of bounds,” he said. “You made a foul so you’re in the penalty box, but this is about how we can get you back in the game.”

The board instructs youths that come before it to make retribution for their actions, either through community service, curfews or donations to non-profits somehow related to the incident.

Throughout his time as chairman, Miner believes more than children, the family dynamic itself has changed. There is not “typical family,” and that can sometimes show in the actions of a child. Sometimes during meetings, issues at home arise and, unfortunately, “sometimes you come across a child that the odds are so stacked against them they don’t stand a chance.”

One difference in parents, Miner has observed, is that they have gone from an attitude of “what has my child done” to “what have you done to my child.” The consequence of that attitude, he said, is that youths will constantly be searching for someone else to blame and grow up “entitled.”

Similarly, children and sometimes their parents can miss their scheduled meetings because communication between the parents has broken down.

To help children avoid the board altogether, Miner stressed the importance of family support and to ensure young people grow up with positive influences not only within their families but also among their friends.

“It is hard to have hard and fast rules when it comes to working with kids,” Miner said. “They usually aren’t bad kids. For the most part they try their best, but they are young and goof up. They deserve the opportunity to right things. We want to see a diversion, not just a punishment. We try and help kids.”