For graffiti bandits, there is a fate worse than getting caught: winding up in 3rd District Juvenile Court Judge Andrew Val-dez's courtroom.
The way Valdez metes out justice, a vandal who takes just a few scant minutes to scribble graffiti could end up "owning" that surface and watching over it for months.Valdez makes the vandal clean up his or her handiwork or repay a property owner who has already done the work. Then, the judge gives the juvenile responsibility for keeping the surface clean for the next three to six months or more.
"If it gets defaced again, they are responsible to clean it or they get locked up," Valdez said.
About 10 of the 100 juveniles who pass through his court each week are charged with graffiti vandalism.
Valdez admits his sentences sometimes have rough edges. Some of the youth he requires to safeguard property take the job extremely seriously. They've maintained such a vigilant watch over their properties they've fought off would-be taggers.
They've learned, perhaps, just how hard cleaning up graffiti can be, especially when you're forced to rework a surface over and over. An added incentive to keep the property spotless: It's possible Valdez himself may check up on them.
"Sometimes I'll even drive by to make sure the wall is clean," Valdez said.
For vandals who consider themselves "artists," Valdez has another form of maverick justice. He commits them to community service painting scenery at Salt Lake Community College or working for a local arts council.
That helps "redirect their talent and ability into a more positive way and replaces or changes their motivation for the artwork they are doing," Valdez said.