A look at recent crime data suggests a disturbing trend in Minnesota – Severe juvenile crimes are on the rise.
Although the number of juvenile cases has receded below pre-pandemic levels, the crimes that are being committed by youth offenders are typically much more severe in nature. According to the data, some of the most common juvenile offenses in Hennepin County include auto thefts, gun possession, assault and robbery. Moreover, the number of juveniles charged with homicide has more than doubled since 2021 compared to the three years prior.
“We are not talking about stealing candy bars from stores,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt, who regularly works closely with juvenile offenders. “These are indicators that we’re in trouble.”
Witt is hopeful that some solutions to the problem of juvenile crime will come from the Working Group on Youth Interventions, a panel that’s been meeting at the State Capitol since the fall. The group will deliver their recommendations to legislature when it reconvenes in early 2024.
Panel co-chair Al Godfrey, field services director for the state Department of Corrections, says that 40 years in the field has taught him that juvenile justice needs to be adaptive and fluid. He’s hoping the panel looks beyond traditional treatment facilities and tries to find creative ways to provide community-based or in-home mental health services.
“The corrections system was never designed to be a mental health care facility for those kids, but they are ending up there,” Godfrey said. “We don’t want to throw a lot of dollars at something that may not solve the needs of the kids in the system.”
Juvenile Crime Data
A review of the most recent crime data from Hennepin County reveals some concerning trends:
- Nearly 70 percent of juvenile cases involve men.
- Nearly two-thirds of juvenile cases involve Black juveniles (about 14.5% of county residents are Black)
- The number of juveniles charged with felonies has increased dramatically since the pandemic.
We’ve been preaching on our blog for years that juvenile justice needs to focus on rehabilitation and not just punishment. We’re not condoning that juvenile offenders should get off scot-free, but everyone benefits when we treat the underlying reason that led the individual to commit a crime in the first place. If you gave community members the right to choose whether to punish an offender or to let them off easy knowing that they would never offend again, the majority of people who choose to let an offender go knowing they would not commit a crime again in the future. And while mental health treatment and rehabilitative services by no means cuts recidivism down to zero percent, it can greatly work to reduce the risk of reoffense, and that’s great for everybody.
Hopefully the panel comes up with some helpful suggestions to curb juvenile crime. In the meantime, if you or your child needs criminal defense in the event they are charged with a crime, reach out to Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
