Repeat juvenile offense numbers going down in Codington County
Juveniles committing crimes in Codington County are increasingly being guided toward better lifestyles, Codington County commissioners were told Tuesday morning.
Louis Canfield, Director of the Watertown Boys & Girls Club’s Youth Diversion and Detention program, said repeat criminal behavior by juveniles in 2022 has been trending lower than the past two years.
Since December of last year, Canfield has been in charge of the county-supported Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative, which provides guidance to young offenders rather than sending them to the county detention center. Of the 57 juveniles taking part the in initiative through mid-September, only two were eventually sent to the Codington County Detention Center to serve their sentence. Another 92 are still going through the JDAI program.
“We’re being more selective with the juveniles that do get detained because obviously they all can’t go through diversion,” Canfield said. “There are some more difficult cases, felony-type charges, so that’s going to have an impact on our numbers.”
Canfield provided a list of 19 charges, with the most frequent being tobacco or vaping, property damage, alcohol use and truancy/habitual school absence.
Juveniles who break the law undergo a risk assessment evaluation by police, judges, attorneys or jailers. If they score from zero to six they are returned to their homes. Those who score from seven to 11 are sent to the detention center to cool off and then are released to receive training. A score of 12 or higher means detention center time.
The JDAI program began in 2020. The first six months of 2022 were funded by a grant. Since then, the county has been paying $6,271 a month to fund the program. In 2023 the county has budgeted $77,962 to keep the program going.
“One thing that was kind of an epiphany for me was understanding the difference between detention alternatives and diversion,” said Commissioner Lee Gabel, an early supporter of JDAI. “Diversion is kind of a nip-it-in-the-bud thing that keeps kids out of the criminal justice system and gives them a chance but at the same time tries to teach them the positive way to behave as opposed to the negative way to behave.”
Commissioner Troy VanDusen said the numbers Canfield presented are “pretty impressive to me.
“The impact this program has been having, I’ve heard great things about it,” he said. “Keep up the good work.”
Canfield gave credit to the community.
“I get to see the kids first-hand, but I tell you a lot of partners that I work with here in Codington County help me help the kids,” he said. “I appreciate everyone’s support.”
Health insurance rate increases not as severe as expected
The commissioners also learned Tuesday that an increase in health insurance will not be as severe as some expected. Ray Kranz of Kranz Insurance, representing Blue Cross Blue Shield, told the commission that costs will be increasing 6.5%, notably less than the 15% for which some county department heads had budgeted.
Kranz said the most recent loss rate for the county was 65%, which was down significantly from previous years.
Auditor Cindy Brugman said the 8.5% difference between projected and actual rates will mean surplus cash for the county.
Commissioners also heard monthly reports from 4-H Youth Program Advisor Jodi Loehrer and Veterans Service Officer Todd Rose.
Loehrer noted that National 4-H Week is currently ongoing and the county 4-H recognition event is Oct. 23 at the Extension Building.
Rose said next month’s Veterans Day program will return to the Extension Building after being held at the high school. When asked about the change, Rose said there is no school on Veteran’s Day and he hopes to return the program to the Civic Arena in future years.
In other actions the commissioners:
Approved the county’s five-year highway and bridge improvement plan.
Renewed the digital subscription to the public law library, which can be accessed at the Watertown Regional Library. The cost to the county will be $315.61 in 2023, $331.39 in 2024 and $347.96 in 2025. The costs are paid for by fines and court fees collected by the county.
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Codington County commissioners hear update on juvenile diversion
