Merits of juvenile offender programs debated

Thursday, June 29, 2000 | 11:13 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A national consultant on juvenile justice says the work programs in Clark County, such as the one in which six teens were killed, have little value in stopping youngsters from getting into further trouble.

James "Buddy" Howell, a criminologist from North Carolina, also was critical of the overcrowding at the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center and said children, such as school truants, should not be placed in the facility.

But Kirby L. Burgess, director of the Clark County Department of Family and Youth Services, said Wednesday that Howell is off base. He said youth work programs have proven beneficial and national studies back him up.

Howell has been a consultant to the legislative subcommittee studying the juvenile justice system in Nevada and he wrote its chairwoman, Sen. Valerie Wiener, D-Las Vegas, in April about "two disturbing situations" in the Clark County System. The letter was not disclosed until Wednesday.

He referred to the program where the teens worked along highways picking up trash to pay off fines for misdemeanor offenses. A car driven by exotic dancer Jessica Williams slammed into a group of juvenile offenders in March, killing six.

Howell urged the subcommittee to consider eliminating the program to ensure the children are protected from dangerous adults.

"Studies show that restitution programs reduce recidivism only about 4-7 percent. I seriously doubt that there is any recidivism reduction value to this type of punitive restitution, because studies consistently show that punishment does not reduce recidivism, and may actually increase it," he said.

The county stopped the roadside trash pickup operation but continues programs in which youths clean up parks and vacant lots and remove graffiti.

Burgess said if low-level offenders are placed in these work programs, "There is a great probability they will not return to the (criminal justice) system."

"Studies across the nation have shown that these programs are a good alternative to incarcerating youngsters in the juvenile detention facility," said Burgess. "They are useful in kids paying off fines and restitution."

Burgess said he first saw the letter Wednesday, although it had been written April 21. He said he would review national studies to see if they correspond with what Howell believes.

"It's premature to throw out the proverbial baby with the bath water in eliminating programs like this but certainly, it requires reassessment of how the program works and how it serves the public best and how it safeguards children."

In his letter, Howell cited a story in the Las Vegas Sun about overcrowding at the detention center in Clark County.

"Had I known the overcrowding at this detention center was apparently so egregious at the time I testified before the subcommittee, I would have recommended immediate, emergency action to remove children in the detention center from harm's way who do not require such confinement."

He said he was disappointed to learn that nonviolent children may be held for truancy or other minor offenses. "Confinement of status offenders is prohibited by the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention act, unless they are also charged with delinquent offenses," Howell said.

Overcrowding, he said contributes to higher rates of violence and suicidal behavior in detention centers.

Burgess said the county has been working with the state and the judiciary in trying to solve the problem of truants being kept in the detention facility. "Efforts are underway now to curtail the use of the detention facility for truants who violate court orders. That's who they are talking about.

"They are not truants in the standard sense, but truants who are repeatedly told by the judge to go to school and finally the judge says if you don't go to school, 'We will have to incarcerate you.' "

He said alternatives are being developed to avoid placing these repeat truants into the detention facility for violating court orders. Of it they are placed in detention, they will be held only 24 hours.

In some instances, he said children have been held for longer periods than 24 hours in Clark County.

Wiener and Burgess said a new jobs program is being developed with the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and private employers for juvenile offenders. Expected to start in January, Burgess said the program will help prepare the youngster for employment, teaching such things as work ethic. This will enable the youngster to pay off a fine or restitution.

But more importantly, it may develop into a long-term job for a teen.

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