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County's high in youth arrests Report says rate grew 83.3% in 1987-96 By ALBERTO ENRIQUEZ Jackson County ranked third among Oregon counties in juvenile arrest rates in 1997 and has ranked consistently in the top 10 for the past 15 years. That arrest rate grew 83.3 percent from 1987 to 1996, faster and higher than the statewide juvenile arrest rate. During the same period, juvenile crimes against property increased by 21 percent in Jackson County, while property crimes grew by 10 percent statewide. Those statistics appear in a 29-page, state-mandated "High Risk Juvenile Crime Prevention Plan for Jackson County" approved by the county Board of Commissioners on Monday. The plan seeks $1.4 million in state funds, part of a $30 million package that Gov. John Kitzhaber will propose in the next Legislature. Kitzhaber's aim is to intervene earlier and more effectively in the lives of high-risk juveniles around the state. Alan Young, director of Jackson County Juvenile Services, said Monday that the flip side of the statistics above show why early intervention is so important. The statistics show that most Jackson County kids don't get into trouble with the law at all. And most of those who do straighten up quickly and do not offend again. In 1995, for instance, of more than 18,000 Jackson County juveniles ages 10 to 17, fewer than 2,000 were arrested. Over the next two years, more than half of those were not arrested again. But for the small percentage who cause most of the trouble, problems loom early in life, Young said. Most such high-risk juveniles have parents who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, have been in trouble with the law, and suffered spotty upbringings themselves which left them ill-equipped to be good parents or encourage their children to do well in school. "Typically, they will be identified first as 8-, 9- or 10-year-olds by the schools," Young said, "either because of obnoxious behavior or because they're not succeeding academically or missing classes. It can become a major problem over a lifetime. Intervention early in life is a whole lot cheaper." Young said the plan prepared in cooperation with the county's Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee recognizes that the county has an adequate range of services to meet the needs of high-risk juveniles, but these services in the schools, the juvenile department and nonprofit service agencies generally lack the capacity to intervene effectively. For example, based on pre-1998 data, about 1,600 first-time offenders may be referred to the Juvenile Department in a year: 250 for tobacco charges and 900 for crimes. About 750 of those non-tobacco, first-time offenders will not receive a face-to-face intake assessment for risk factors. Many such cases now are handled simply by a letter to parents. The plan proposes to assess and to intervene more often. Among the proposed changes if the plan were funded: Schools and community agencies would perform comprehensive assessments of 700 high-risk non-offenders per year and would offer them delinquency prevention programs. Mental health services would expand to serve 100 youths and their families per year. Parent training programs would target 40 families of high-risk youth per year. The Juvenile Department would complete comprehensive assessments of at least 700 first-time offenders per year. Targeted youth would be transferred to diversion programs or to court-ordered probation for sanctions and/or treatment. The Juvenile Department, working with nine school districts, police, mental health and community agencies, would develop a training program in the schools to complement intervention efforts. The primary goal of these and other changes is to bring the juvenile arrest rate down from 94 per month to 74 per month. Secondary goals include decreasing recidivism and drug and alcohol use by juveniles. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA