Justice system is failing state's youths

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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In too many heartbreaking cases, Minnesota parents whose kids have committed crimes have begged the juvenile justice system for help.

Desperate parents who could see that their kids were either already on or were headed toward a path of repeated delinquency and crime sought assistance from the system to intervene. But their pleas went unanswered, and their sons or daughters later were convicted of violent crimes.

Their stories have come into focus because of a groundbreaking Star Tribune series, called "Juvenile Injustice," which should be on the radar of public officials across the state.

In an August installment of the series, readers learned about two young cousins who committed similar crimes. One was offered the opportunity to go to a diversion program. The other teen, who was not offered those services, later died in a car crash while riding in a stolen car.

The "Juvenile Injustice" series illustrates how critical it is that the state and counties provide safe and effective options for youth — especially those involved in more serious, violent crimes. As the Star Tribune Editorial Board has argued previously, the state should strive to offer more second-chance diversion opportunities to more teens.

There must be more alternatives somewhere between turning them back out onto the streets and sending them to places out of state or into adult facilities. If our society truly believes in the purpose of a separate justice system for juveniles — one that not only punishes but rehabilitates — there must be adequate resources and a commitment.

Striking that balance won't be easy, given the strength of the anti-incarceration movement. Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, for example, used to have several residential rehab centers for more challenging young offenders. But most of them closed when this state, like many across the country, adopted reforms under the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI.) Funds saved by not incarcerating children should have been redirected to mental health, chemical dependency treatment and outpatient programs. But that didn't always happen.

And in recent years, when counties proposed new facilities, there has been significant community pushback. Some have argued that children — particularly children of color — should not be warehoused in juvenile facilities. But a Star Tribune study of hundreds of juvenile-court records finds that sending them to voluntary, unstructured programs isn't working for Minnesota's most troubled kids who commit the worst crimes. Too many who are sent back into their communities become repeat offenders.

Hennepin County District Judge Tanya Bransford told the Star Tribune's "Juvenile Injustice" team in part one of the series that in 15 years presiding over juvenile cases, she has never seen so much demand for mental health and other support services. She said many parents are frustrated and don't know what to do when law enforcement or the courts can't or won't place their kids. The system, she said, lacks adequate residential treatment centers where teens can be appropriately assessed, educated and treated.

"If you have young people who are shooting other people, then I don't think it's safe to say, 'Fine, now just go back to the community,'" Bransford said. "I don't think the community thinks that's safe either."

That's right, it's not safe. Not for the convicted kids, their families, crime victims or their communities. Minnesota needs to commit to funding facilities that offer secure, effective juvenile treatment and rehabilitation before more young lives are broken or lost.