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A NEW REPORT FINDS YOUTH INCARCERATION RATES ARE AT A 35 YEAR LOW, BUT AS PEGGY PICO EXPLAINS,
CALIFORNIA HAS MORE YOUTH BEHIND BARS THAN ANY OTHER STATE.
>> >>PEGGY: DESPITE AN OVERALL DECLINE IN JUVENILE CONVICTION, THE U.S. STILL LEADS
THE INDUSTRIALIZED WORLD IN YOUTH INCARCERATION. AND ACCORDING TO TODAY'S KID COUNT REPORT
FROM THE NKC CALIFORNIA LEADS WITH MORE THAN 11,000 KIDS BEHIND BARS OR ABOUT 270 PER 100,000
YOUTHS. TEXAS RATES ARE LESS THAN HALF AT ABOUT 5,000,
AND NEW YORK RANKS THIRD FOR JUVENILE INCARCERATION AT JUST OVER 2600.
CHIEF OF SAN DIEGO PROBATION DEPARTMENT MACK JENKINS AND MICHELE LINLEY DEPUTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY AND CHIEF OF THE COUNTY'S JUVENILE DIVISION JOIN ME WITH MORE.
CHIEF JENKINS HOW MANY JUVENILE DETENTION CENTERS IT DO WE HAVE HERE IN SAN DIEGO AND
HOW ARE OUR NUMBERS COMPARED TO THE STATE? >> >>MACK JENKINS: THE PROBATION OPERATIONS
FIVE FACILITIES. WE HAVE AVAILABLE 979 TOTAL BEDS.
THIS MORNING WE HAD 688 YOUTHS IN THOSE FIVE FACILITIES.
WHAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS IS JUST LIKE THE NATION HAS SEEN A DECLINE IN
INCARCERATION RATES HERE IN SAN DIEGO WE HAVE ALSO SEEN A DECLINE.
>> >>PEGGY: COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES IN CALIFORNIA, SAY, SAN FRANCISCO, L.A., ABOUT THE SAME OR
ARE WE DOING A LITTLEĆ >> >>MACK JENKINS: I COULDN'T REALLY TELL
YOU. I DON'T HAVE THOSE NUMBERS OFF THE TOP OF
OUR HEADS. BUT I CAN SAY OUR NUMBERS WERE PLEASED WITH
THE TREND IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF KIDS WE HAVE IN CUSTODY.
AN IMPORTANT FIGURE IS THAT OF THOSE 688 WE HAVE IN CUSTODY, THAT'S LESS THAN 20% OF THE
TOTAL YOUTH ON PROBATION. IN THIS COUNTY WE SUPERVISE ABOUT 3600 YOUTH
THAT ARE ON PROBATION. NOT EVERY CHILD THAT COMES INTO THE JUVENILE
JUSTICE SYSTEM IS INCARCERATED. >> >>PEGGY: MICHELE, WHAT'S BEHIND THIS SUCCESS?
WHAT SORT OF PROGRAMS ARE OUT THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CHIEF SAID THEY'RE NOT IN JAIL.
>> >>MICHELE LINLEY: THERE ARE MANY DIVERSION PROGRAMS.
WE'RE VERY LUCKY IN SAN DIEGO THAT WE HAVE GROUPS THAT WORK SO CLOSELY TOGETHER.
WE HAVE COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION, PROBATION, AND PROGRAMS THROUGH THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S
OFFICE. WHEN YOUR GETTING INTO A SITUATION WHERE A
MINOR IS HAVING A PROBLEM AND GETTING INVOLVED WITH THE LAW AND YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING TO
PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN, YOU'RE STOPPING THAT MINOR FROM ENDING UP BEING INCARCERATED
LATER. >> >>PEGGY: LET'S TALK ABOUT WHY THEY'RE HERE.
THE KIDS COUNT REPORT FIND NATIONWIDE ABOUT THREE OUT OF FOUR OF THE YOUTH OFFENDERS ARE
INCARCERATED FOR NON VIOLENT CRIME. >> >>MACK JENKINS: IT'S CONSISTENT WITH WHAT
WE SEE IN SAN DIEGO. MOST KIDS THAT DO END UP BEING INCARCERATED
FOR A PERIOD OF TIME MOST OP THEM HAVE COME IN FOR SOME SORT OF PROPERTY CRIME, SOME OF
THEM FOR U ASSAULT. A LOT OF THE KIDS HAVE DRUG ISSUES THAT HAVE
LEAD TO THE PROPERTY TYPE CRIMES. IT'S NOT THE MAJORITY OF THEM HAVEN'T NECESSARILY
BEEN RATED FOR A VIOLENT CRIME. >> >>PEGGY: WHAT DO YOU THINK, CHIEF, IS THE
LINK BETWEEN A YOUTH INCARCERATION, THE KID SES KIDS THAT YOU HAVE NOW, AND THEIR POTENTIAL
OR ACTING OUT AS ADULT CRIMINALS? >> >>MACK JENKINS: WHAT WE KNOW FROM RESEARCH
IS THAT MOST KID WHOSE TOUCH THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM TOUCH IT ONCE AND NEVER COME
BACK. THERE'S A SMALLER PERCENTAGE THAT WILL COME
BACK A COUPLE OF TIMES. WII KNOW THAT THOSE KID WHOSE ARE AT RISK
TO DO WHAT YOU JUST DESCRIBED, GO ON TO AN ADULT CAREER, MAKE UP ONLY 10% OF ALL THE
YOUTH THAT COME INTO THE CIS. WE KNOW WHAT THOSE KIDS LOOK LIKE, WE KNOW
WHAT THEIR PROFILE LOOKS LIKE. THEY COME INTO THE SYSTEM BEFORE AGE 13, HAVE
HAD ACADEMIC FAILURE, HAVE STARTED EXPERIMENTATION IN DRUG USE, HAVE A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY AND
HANG OUT WITH OTHER JUVENILE DELINQUENTS SO THOSE KIDS ABSENT AND EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION
PROGRAM THEY'RE NOT GOING TO CORRECT THEMSELVES. THEY'RE MORE LIKE 3 END UP CHRONIC DELINQUENTS.
>> >>PEGGY: THE COUNTY HAS SEVERAL DIVERSION ARY PROGRAMS, INCLUDING THE TEEN COURT PROGRAM,
HOW CLOSELY DO YOU WORK WITH YOUTH AUTHORITIES AND HOW SUCCESSFUL DO YOU THINK THESE PROGRAMS
ARE? >> >>MICHELE LINLEY: DEPENDING ON THE PROGRAM
WE WORK QUITE CLOSELY WITH COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS.
WITH THE TEEN COURT WE HAVE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS SO THAT THEY CAN CREATE A JUSTICE
PROCESS JUST WITH THE MINORS AND THOSE JUVENILES FROM THE COMMUNITY MAKE THE DECISIONS ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENS TO AN OFFENDER. WE ALSO HAVE OUR TRUE NSY PROKING TRUANCY
PROGRAM WHERE A DEPUTY DUST RCT ATTORNEY WORKS TO BREAK THE LINK.
>> >>PEGGY: UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE OUT OF TIME, BUT THERE'S A WHOLE BUMP MORE ON OUR WEBSITE.
I WANT TO TELL THE FOLKS THAT THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM IS CONTINUING TO WORK AT LOWERING
YOUTH INCARCERATION IN SAN DIEGO. KPBS SPEAKS CITY HEIGHTS REPORTER MEGAN BURK
TAKE AS LOOK AT TWO PROGRAMS TRYING TO DIVERT YOUTH OUT OF THE SYSTEM.
>> >>: OFFICER CALLED AND TALKED TO YOU U BOTH ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY TO STAY OUT OF
THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. >> >>: THESE TEAMS ARE LEARNING HOW TO BECOME
MEDIATORS. IT'S A SKILL THEY ARE PICK UP IN AN EFFORT
TO STAMP OUT JUVENILE CRIME AND BOTTLE NECK THE PIPELINE.
IT STARTS WITH ONE ARREST, BUT SOON GENERATES INTO A PIPELINE AND IT ELIMINATES A LOT OF
OPPORTUNITIES FOR THESE KIDS WHEN REALLY IF WE CAN CATCH IT AT THIS EARLY STAGE, IT GIVES
THEM THIS OPPORTUNITY TO GET OUT F OF THAT PIPELINE.
>> >>: LAMBERT IS AN OUTREACH COORDINATOR FOR THE NATIONAL CENTER.
SHE'S TRYING TO SLOW THE PACE OF YOUTH BEING INTRODUCED TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
THE STRATEGY IS CALLED RESTORATIVE CONFERENCING. INSTEAD OF GETTING THEIR SENTENCE FROM A JUDGE
YOUTH WHO COMMIT NON VIOLENT CRIMES HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEEM MEET WITH THEIR VICTIM,
THE OWNER OF A CAR THEY BROKE INTO OR THE PRINCIPLE OF A SCHOOL THEY TAGGED.
ONE OF THE NEW MEDIATOR WOULD DECIDE ON A PUNISHMENT, SOMETHING LIKE COMMUNITY SERVICE
OR ANGER MANAGEMENT. ON THE OTHER SIDE, THE NON PROFIT MID CITY
CAN ARE WORKING ON A SIMILAR PILOT PROGRAM. >> >>: IT'S KNOWING THAT I DID SOMETHING TO
SOMEONE RATHER THAN HEY, A PROSECUTOR JUST PUTS ME IN JAIL, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY
I'M JUST WAITING UNTIL GET OUT OF JAIL AND DO THE SAME CRIME AGAIN.
>> >>: JUVENILE CRIME AND DETENTION RATES HAVE DECLINED ACROSS THE NATION AND IN SAN
DIEGO. RESIDENTS IN CITY HEIGHTS ARE CONCERNED BECAUSE
THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS HOME TO LARGE POPULATIONS OF LATINO AND AFRICAN AMERICANSISM A 2008
SANDAG STUDY SHOWS BOTH GROUPS ARE REPRESENTED BY ABOUT 10% EACH.
>> >>: WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE OUR KIDS WEREN'T JUST ANOTHER STATISTIC.
>> >>: THE APPROACH ISN'T FAST ON CRIME. THEY SITS RR MORE EFFECTIVE.
>> >>: WE'RE NOT SAYING THAT OUR KIDS DON'T NEED TO BE PUNISHED OR THEY DON'T NEED TO
BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMETHING THAT THEY'VE DONE, BUT WE'RE SAYING THAT THE MES METHOD
OF JUST PUNISHING A KID HAS BEEN TRIED AND IT'S NOT WORKING.
IT'S NOT WORKING BECAUSE RESIT VSM RATES ARE REST VSM RATES ARE VERY HIGH.
>> >>: THE RATES IN A SINGLE DIGITS. MEGAN BURK, KPBS NEWS.