St. Louis County School Board members heard Monday about a countywide effort to reform the juvenile justice system.

St. Louis County Attorney Melanie Ford explained that the initiative stemmed from a 2008 Haywood Burns Institute report, which found a disproportionate number of children of color were placed in detention at the Arrowhead Juvenile Center (AJC).

According to 2008 data, African American youth (ages ten to 17) represented only two percent of the overall youth population in the Arrowhead Region, but were 12 percent of the youth sent to the AJC. Similarly, Native American youth accounted for only four percent of the overall youth population in the Arrowhead Region, but represented 23 percent of intakes at AJC in 2008.

“There were times when a full third of the population at AJC were Native American,” said Ford, who said she has heard stories from foster care providers who had to pick up children in detention who had not committed crimes but have mental health or special needs issues.

To address these concerns, Ford applied for and received a $90,000 grant from the Minnesota Office of Justice Programs and the Annie E. Casey Foundation to explore alternatives to juvenile detention. The grant is the beginning of a multi-year effort dubbed the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, she said.

Right place for kids

The initiative’s overall goal is to put the right kids in the right place for the right reasons.

According to Ford, kids that come into the juvenile justice system have a better chance of changing their behavior, and becoming successful adults, when they are placed in a supportive home or home-like setting.

That’s not to say that some youth don’t belong in detention. If a child represents a danger to public safety or to himself or herself, detention is appropriate, Ford said. Also, detention may be required if the youth is a flight risk for appearing in court.

But even in such cases, detained kids are more likely to succeed when the least restrictive environment for detention is used.

One of the objectives of the initiative is to develop community standards for circumstances that will lead to detention and determining appropriate levels of detention, Ford explained.

To help determine that, she has assembled several subcommittees with expertise in juvenile justice and social work with children to gather data and help develop an outline for standards. An Oversight Committee will have the final say on the different task forces’ recommendations. Volunteers interested in serving on a committee can contact Sue Lawson at (218) 726-2323.

In addition, Ford’s office is in contact with other agencies and organizations that come into contact with troubled youth, from law enforcement to schools, for their input. Several school officials currently serve on initiative committees.

The initiative is also looking into concerns about the disproportionate number of children of color in detention, by gathering data and looking at the information through a “racial lens” to see where bias may be occurring, Ford said.

Ford said developing alternatives to detention may not only benefit youth, but also taxpayers. The annual cost of detaining a juvenile is $67,000 annually, she told the St. Louis County School Board. Alternatives, such as placing a youth in foster care, could be less costly.