Carroll
ALLEN COUNTY— With all hands on deck, the Allen County Juvenile Court system has started new programs to help the youth. The organization began programs to address truancy and other offenses in the community.
The programs were created after first looking at the yearly statistics to determine the need.
Juvenile Court Administrator Berlin Carroll presented a review of the previous year to the Allen County Family & Children First Council on Monday afternoon.
“In the past year we created a new access center,” said Carroll. “It is the Allen County Community Engagement and Specialized Services Center. It’s an umbrella that houses all of our community-based programs. It has probation, diversion and intervention. It is also where we will invest in our prevention-based services.”
The center is now open and located at 528 W. Market Street.
JDC has also created a community-based truancy program and a cultural leadership academy.
Carroll addressed the trend of crime in the area that led to the changes.
“Here is the thing about crime, if you look at the trend line, crime has been trending down not just here locally but all across the country for 30-plus years,” said Carroll. “In 2015, we had 403 total kids come through our detention center (kids that were arrested for a criminal act). Last year in 2021, there were 155. This is not a COVID anomaly. In 2020, there were 124 the year before. That number has done nothing but trend down.”
Although crime is trending downward, the level of crime has increased.
“However, what we have seen is a significant increase in the level of violent crimes that are being committed here locally,” added Carroll. “I think that is the problem and that is the real challenge. It is not the number of offenses that are being committed; the problem is the level of violence we see is clearly up.”
Fortunately, the decrease in the number of children has given the juvenile detention center the ability to provide more intense treatment for the children.
Carroll thanked the Allen County Commissioners and the Supreme Court of Ohio for helping with the new programs. The Supreme Court of Ohio granted more than $200,000 to the JDC to aid in creating a new case management system.
Reach Precious Grundy at 567-242-0351.
