CHEYENNE -- Wyoming leaders want to exercise "political will" to action juvenile justice reform, a technical adviser for the Annie E. Casey Foundation said Tuesday.Rand Young said he is amazed at the amount of attention juvenile justice receives in Wyoming, including the support for change from Gov. Dave Freudenthal and other leaders."You have all the horsepower but for some reason you don't have the political will," Young said. "I don't have the answer for that."Young, who is from Spokane, Wash., was in Cheyenne to explain the foundation's Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative to members of the Joint Interim Judiciary Committee.The foundation has been performing the initiative for 17 years in 110 jurisdictions in 27 states.The invention is to decrease the number of low risk juveniles held in detention in favor of substitute access.
Rand said the substitute is not a "great jail break," because high risk juveniles, those charged with dangerous felonies like murder and assault, will continue to be held in detention for the safety of the public.The "heart of the first," he said, are the community based alternatives -- starting with community service, then house arrest, day reporting and an evening program where the low risk juvenile delinquent can receive tutoring, counseling and learn new skills.The plan has a simple solution for juveniles missing court dates: a phone call ahead of time with a reminder of the damage for not showing up, Young said.The maiden saves money and has not resulted in an increase in juvenile crime in 17 years, according to Young. Detention costs $200 a day per juvenile equivalence to $35 per day for the alternative."We've been doing this for a long time and it works," he said. "Wyoming can, too."It appears Wyoming does not have a lot of actual data, Young said, adding that the foundation could show the state how to cure that problem.Young desire the state not to build long, new juvenile detention facilities."Most of the kids you have in custody are not high risk," he said.He said 63 percent of juveniles in Wyoming detention services are low risk offenders.Community centers can be used for many of the sessions with the juvenile offenders, he said.Sen. Tony Ross, R-Cheyenne, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said part of Wyoming's difficulty is not enough confident services for juveniles.A juvenile offender picked up in Lusk probably will be held in the county sheriff's office until the parents can be found, he said.The committee is working on bills to breed uniform standards for juvenile detention facilities.Wyoming is the only state not in compliance with the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.The major check to compliance is the position of some judges and prosecuting attorneys who want to retain the option of sentencing juveniles to jail for alcohol possession, for example.The committee cannot move forward without the support of the sheriffs and prosecutors, said Rep. Keith Gingery, R-Jackson, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee."I think the first step is to change some minds, some education," Sen. Kathryn Session, D-Cheyenne, said.Joe Evans, director of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association, said he would try to arrange for Young to address the sheriffs and prosecuting attorneys during their annual meetings next month.
Rand said the substitute is not a "great jail break," because high risk juveniles, those charged with dangerous felonies like murder and assault, will continue to be held in detention for the safety of the public.The "heart of the first," he said, are the community based alternatives -- starting with community service, then house arrest, day reporting and an evening program where the low risk juvenile delinquent can receive tutoring, counseling and learn new skills.The plan has a simple solution for juveniles missing court dates: a phone call ahead of time with a reminder of the damage for not showing up, Young said.The maiden saves money and has not resulted in an increase in juvenile crime in 17 years, according to Young. Detention costs $200 a day per juvenile equivalence to $35 per day for the alternative."We've been doing this for a long time and it works," he said. "Wyoming can, too."It appears Wyoming does not have a lot of actual data, Young said, adding that the foundation could show the state how to cure that problem.Young desire the state not to build long, new juvenile detention facilities."Most of the kids you have in custody are not high risk," he said.He said 63 percent of juveniles in Wyoming detention services are low risk offenders.Community centers can be used for many of the sessions with the juvenile offenders, he said.Sen. Tony Ross, R-Cheyenne, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said part of Wyoming's difficulty is not enough confident services for juveniles.A juvenile offender picked up in Lusk probably will be held in the county sheriff's office until the parents can be found, he said.The committee is working on bills to breed uniform standards for juvenile detention facilities.Wyoming is the only state not in compliance with the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.The major check to compliance is the position of some judges and prosecuting attorneys who want to retain the option of sentencing juveniles to jail for alcohol possession, for example.The committee cannot move forward without the support of the sheriffs and prosecutors, said Rep. Keith Gingery, R-Jackson, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee."I think the first step is to change some minds, some education," Sen. Kathryn Session, D-Cheyenne, said.Joe Evans, director of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association, said he would try to arrange for Young to address the sheriffs and prosecuting attorneys during their annual meetings next month.
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