BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Court officials in North Dakota are pushing lawmakers to approve a study of the state’s juvenile court system, saying such a review is long overdue.
A limited study of where to house North Dakota’s juvenile probation services was conducted in 1990, and a review of the juvenile courts was done by a commission in 1986, the Bismarck Tribune (https://bit.ly/2o8lLhp ) reported.
The idea for a new study began in 2014, when various stakeholders attended a juvenile justice forum. The state then worked with the Council of State Governments, which visited North Dakota to go over topics of concern regarding the juvenile court system.
North Dakota State Court Administrator Sally Holewa said the study would also look into court resources, funding and jurisdiction of various departments.
“Because of the many instances in which one of three systems provides services to juveniles, we think a broader study at this time would be most beneficial to the state,” Holewa said.
North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Lisa Fair McEvers said a child’s early contact with the juvenile court system doesn’t “necessarily improve their chances of keeping them out of the justice system as adults.”
North Dakota is one of five states that allow children as young as 7 to be referred to juvenile court for a crime. McEvers said 164 children between ages 7 and 10 were referred to North Dakota’s juvenile courts in 2015.
Of those children, 59 were diverted to another agency. Thirty cases resulted in unsupervised probation, while 16 were released with a warning and 10 more received probation. The other cases had various results, including no further action taken and letters sent to parents.
The new proposal follows a study conducted on the adult correctional system.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, https://www.bismarcktribune.com
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