Juvenile programs deserve our support
Budget cuts are forcing public and private entities to exercise their innovation and creativity in attempts to maintain expected levels of service with fewer resources.
A significant local example is the effort being put forth by Pettis County juvenile officers to address youths’ needs once the Sedalia Juvenile Detention Center closes at the end of this month.
As reported by the Democrat’s Dennis Rich, chief juvenile officer Mike Hughes and deputy juvenile officer Tim Carr are pursuing grant money to support a program that will rely on additional supervision of young offenders since the local detention option is going away. Felony offenders will be transported to regional centers in Johnson and Boone counties, while less-serious offenders will be seen through a program of supervision, mentoring and community service. However, Hughes and Carr want to ensure that there is a structure in place for all youthful offenders to help them move in more positive directions.
Hughes told Rich: “My message to the kids is that even though there is no detention center, we do have other options and we still have contracts with Johnson and Boone counties to house a kid there if we need to. The general public needs to feel safe that these kids won’t be running wild now.”
But more than just detaining minor offenders, the juvenile officers, through the “Supervision — not detention” program, intend to provide the youths with opportunities to continue their education and provide community service, along with providing them multiple levels of supervision, Carr said.
Two grants totaling $25,000 have been secured, and Hughes is hopeful that positive outcomes in early 2012 will translate into additional financial support. But such efforts should not rely on hopes and wishes.
Researcher Peter Greenwood of Princeton University examined such programs in his report, “Prevention and Intervention Programs for Juvenile Offenders.” He found: “It costs states billions of dollars a year to arrest, prosecute, incarcerate and treat juvenile offenders. Investing in successful delinquency-prevention programs can save taxpayers $7 to $10 for every dollar invested, primarily in the form of reduced spending on prisons.”
If our community wants to get minor offenders off the path toward being career criminals, we need to fund juvenile programs that help them see there are more positive options for their lives.
