Teenager Who Plotted School Shooting to Receive Residential Treatment in Pennsylvania

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
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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