>> suffolk county sheriff vincent demarco began the now 3-year-old program. >> a lot of the kids it's the first time they have been here. we are intervening here getting them rehabilitated working with their judges, working with their prosecutors and working with their attorneys and finding alternatives for these kids so they don't have to go to state prison. you send a 17-year-old kid to state prison you might have lost that kid for the rest of his life. and we don't want to see that. >> you got gloves? >> yes, ma'am. >> victor cartagina came to jail two years earlier at age 17. he has numerous charges, including first degree gang-related assault and first degree robbery. he has pled not guilty and hopes his participation in the program can provide an alternative to prison should he be found guilty. >> if you could draw or paint anything, what would you want to draw? what? a person? >> flowers. >> he came in he had this long hair down his back and would walk around and he was angry. he wouldn't listen to nobody. he was just this little thugged out little kid. he was throwing up gang