MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO)<\/b> \u2014 A growing number of parents and community activists are expressing concern about the spike in crimes committed by kids.<\/p>\n
Some blame the closure of two juvenile detention centers \u2014 one in Ramsey and Hennepin County. <\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/strong>Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Of Minnesota Makes Difficult Decision To Protect Patients From Bird Flu<\/a><\/p>\n The other issue is many kids know about the changes that will get them sent home instead of jail if they commit a crime. <\/p>\n Since the pandemic, there has been an explosion of crime, and many of those responsible are teens \u2014 some as young as 13 years old.<\/p>\n \u201cCarjackings are just one of the crimes that we\u2019re seeing, it\u2019s exploded,\u201d said Ramsey County Undersheriff Mike Martin. \u201cThose youth are stealing those cars and then using them to commit other crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead of sending these youth offenders to jail, more often than not, they are being sent home.<\/p>\n \u201cThey know it\u2019s a revolving door downtown. They take full advantage of being juveniles, and we have allowed the lawlessness long enough that they have absolutely no fear,\u201d said Lisa Clemons, founder of A Mother\u2019s Love.<\/p>\n Minneapolis police say they\u2019ve witnessed older gang members get kids as young as 13 to grab a gun and retaliate at crimes scenes, targeting these teens because they feel there are no consequences for their action.<\/p>\n Some law enforcement and many boots-on-the-ground organizations say part of the reason is the closure of two places that use to serve as juvenile detention centers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s showing every day in our communities that these kids are starting to feel as there\u2019s no consequences for them, you know, doing the wrong thing,\u201d said Micki Frost, founder of The Truce Center.<\/p>\n Boys Totem Town and the Hennepin County Home School closed in 2019. Both housed some of the most violent youth offenders in Ramsey and Hennepin counties for more than 100 years. The closings came after both counties adopted a new system that focuses on maintaining public safety while reducing confinement of kids.<\/p>\n (credit: CBS)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cTotem Town gives peace to some of these kids\u2019 families, some of these mothers at least to know where their kids are at night, you know, to know that they\u2019re not getting into trouble. To know that, you know, their kid is still alive,\u201d Frost said.<\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/strong>\u2018A Game Changer:\u2019 Minnesota Legislature Passes $25M For ALS Research, Caregiving<\/a><\/p>\n Some say the complete closure of these facilities is already backfiring.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re failing these kids. The criminal justice system no longer holds them accountable or provides meaningful intervention to them,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n But others say the research shows kids do better when they are able to remain in home or in community-based programs while under the supervision of the state.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is an increase in crime, and it\u2019s really scary, especially if you\u2019ve been a victim,\u201d said Ramsey County Commissioner Board Chair Trista MastasCastillo. \u201cAnd so you want to have an answer. You want something to blame quickly. Unfortunately, though, if you pull at those stings it doesn\u2019t lead us back to Boys Totem Town.\u201d<\/p>\n MastasCastillo says the new approach is data driven and uses community alternatives and culturally-specific services, like Intensive treatment homes that work directly with young people and their families.<\/p>\n \u201cThe kids are still there, they\u2019re not living at home, but they are in community with adults 24-hour supervision, that are teaching them how to read, teaching them social skills and life skills, and really holding them accountable both for what they\u2019ve done but showing them the path forward,\u201d MastasCastillo said.<\/p>\n For some of the most violent youth offenders, there are facilities across the state for them to go, like in Red Wing and Moorhead. But some say being locked up in a large facility does not produce changes in behavior.<\/p>\n \u201cYouth tend to be more successful in settings that are smaller, that are more a kin to a home setting and that provide that intensive behavioral intervention space,\u201d said Catherine Johnson, director of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation in Hennepin County.<\/p>\n Johnson says there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to juveniles and our justice system.<\/p>\n \u201cI firmly believe that the county home school the way it was operating, and based on the models previously, and the facility itself wasn\u2019t the right space,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cAnd figuring out what the right space is in collaboration with community is what we\u2019re doing now.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnson admits there are gaps. Community groups WCCO talked with say they need to be part of the conversation because something isn\u2019t working.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/minnesota.cbslocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15909630\/2022\/03\/Juvenile-Detention-Centers.jpg\")
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