DOWNTOWN : Arts Classes Offered to Juvenile Offenders

Some youths placed on probation for certain crimes will now have the option of taking dance, music and art classes as part of their community service.

The arts option is available through a pilot program called “Sentenced to the Stage.” The program was proposed by the nonprofit City Hearts organization, which provides free performing and visual arts classes to disadvantaged youths.

Prosecutors, probation officers and judges who serve the Northeast Juvenile Justice Center are recommending City Hearts classes for youths ages 11 to 18 who they believe would benefit from the program. Most candidates will be first-time offenders who committed nonviolent crimes, but probation officers and judges will have the discretion to recommend others.

The 1 1/2-hour classes in dance, acting, vocal and instrumental music, and set design will be held six days a week at City Hearts’ studio at 929 E. 2nd St. Psychologists will assess the one-year program by measuring the youths’ self-esteem and interaction.

All those involved acknowledge that there is some skepticism about whether the arts classes will really rehabilitate the youths.

Deputy District Atty. Phyllis Asayama said she and police officials agreed to the program only if the classes were used as part of the probation sentence and not as a substitute for community service.

“We felt that it was important that they still do something to give back to the community,” Asayama said. “We’re taking a wait-and-see attitude. Certainly, I hope it helps.”

Sherry Jason, a former public defender who started the City Hearts program with her husband, another public defender, said the arts classes are worth a try as a way to get children away from crime and gang activity.

“What we’re doing now isn’t working,” Jason said. “Violence has escalated. We need to intervene in a serious way.”

The classes will provide a creative outlet for the youths and will teach discipline, Jason said. The youths must be on time to class and actively participate. Missing a class will be considered a probation violation, she said.

Jason founded City Hearts in 1983 after seeing how music drastically changed the demeanor of a 13-year-old boy convicted of murder. Jason was taking a tour of Juvenile Hall when she heard the youth playing the piano in a side room.

“He was a true prodigy--he was playing Mozart at the time--and it made me wonder, ‘What if he’d met the piano before he met gangs and guns?’ ” Jason said.

Organizers still need about $40,000 to help fund the “Sentenced to the Stage” program.

Information: (310) 455-2898.