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Youth

Teenager Who Plotted School Shooting to Receive Residential Treatment in Pennsylvania

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Richard Yanis, the 16-year-old Pottstown high school freshman who plotted to take guns to school and "shoot everyone he did not like," will be admitted to a residential treatment facility for troubled youth in western Pennsylvania. The decision was made by Montgomery County Judge Gerald S. Corso, who presided over the juvenile case, following a presentencing report that described Yanis as hyperactive, impulsive, depressed, and in need of structure and psychiatric care. The treatment facility, George Junior Republic, is a private, nonprofit institution near Grove City that provides education and counseling to boys aged 9 to 18 from nine states, including Pennsylvania. The cost to taxpayers for a year of treatment at George Junior Republic can be as high as $80,000 per boy.

Key Takeaways:

  • Richard Yanis, a 16-year-old Pottstown high school freshman, pleaded guilty to attempted murder after plotting to take guns to school and "shoot everyone he did not like."
  • The plot was foiled when a friend, who had been entrusted with the guns, told police that he and his stepmother had thrown the guns into a local stream.
  • Yanis was charged with attempted murder in adult court but was transferred to juvenile court, where he pleaded guilty on January 7.
  • Nineteen character witnesses appeared on Yanis' behalf during the hearing, and he apologized to his family and school officials, expressing remorse for the stress he had caused.
  • Yanis will be admitted to George Junior Republic, a private, nonprofit institution near Grove City, where he will receive education and counseling.
  • Three-quarters of the boys at George Junior Republic are referred by courts, while the rest are neglected.
  • The cost to taxpayers for a year of treatment at George Junior Republic can be as high as $80,000 per boy.

Statistics:

  • 525: The number of boys who are currently enrolled in George Junior Republic.
  • 9-18: The age range of boys who are accepted into George Junior Republic.
  • 9: The number of states from which boys are accepted into George Junior Republic.
  • 3/4: The proportion of boys at George Junior Republic who are referred by courts.
  • $80,000: The maximum cost to taxpayers for a year of treatment at George Junior Republic per boy.

Sources:

  • [The Philadelphia Inquirer]
  • The Inquirer, Bonnie L. Cook, http://www.philly.com
  • Copyright (c) 2009, The Philadelphia Inquirer
  • Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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