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How does the juvenile system protect teens from crime?

On Behalf of | Dec 28, 2021 | Criminal Defense |

Juvenile crime covers a wide variety of the law, but the justice department doesn’t refer all youths to the Juvenile Reception Center. Juvenile crimes are on the rise in Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange, which is the golden triangle area. Houston, Texas, has seen rising juvenile crime since last year as well. While it’s necessary to put kids in corrections, unfortunately, more kids are in there than in the last 10 years.

Recent juvenile crimes

About a week ago, a 13-year-old stole a car and crashed it. A separate case involved two juveniles that were fighting in a skating center. Of the 250 people involved, most were juveniles. During 2020, stolen automobiles, simple assaults and retail theft were the top juvenile crimes. There were another 225 charges on juveniles in the area. So far, in 2021, stolen automobiles, simple assaults and burglary are the top juvenile crimes. There have been another 197 charges on juveniles in the area.

Juvenile Reception Center

The increase in juvenile crime may be due to mental health exasperation and anxiety. A child’s mental health affects a youth’s actions more. Referring juveniles to the Juvenile Reception Center helps them work through issues with staff. The number of cars has gone down in the community. Some older youths weren’t arrested and recommended to the center, though. The center rarely sees 17-year-olds for juvenile crimes.

There are some 17-year-olds at the Juvenile Reception Center, but most offenders are younger. Juvenile crimes have gone up, but more resources can prevent more kids from seeing a courtroom. One such resource is the MPD Grant that addresses a family’s needs while a youth is in the system. The RISE UP organization is a partner of the grant. They’re part of Dane county human services.

Juvenile crimes have gone up since early 2020, but there are resources to help kids stay out of trouble. The Juvenile Reception Center takes in youths under 18 and helps them through their issues. There are grants available to help families with children in the system. The more resources available and the more restorative justice becomes available for juveniles. Last year Dane county approved the community Justice Center for $100,000.