In recent years, teens and young adults in Kansas City have been involved in high profile gun crimes and a slew of property crimes, leading community members and city leaders to express concerns about how the criminal justice system is working.
“The juvenile justice system, it's a bit antiquated and not as robust as it needs to be to really make an impact on some of the juvenile issues and juvenile criminality that we're seeing,” said Stacey Graves, chief of the Kansas City Police Department at an October Board of Police Commissioners meeting.
Monica Penrose, chief juvenile officer for the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County, pushed back on Graves’ comments in an interview with KCUR’s Up To Date.
“When folks such as the chief has mentioned that she feels the system is antiquated, or I've heard the mayor, some of the others express some frustration, I think that's about just some personal frustrations, maybe on some isolated cases,” Penrose said.
For some serious crimes, juveniles may be tried as an adult, moving the case out of the family court system. However, most youth delinquency cases are referred to Jackson County Family Court, which utilizes diversion programs and probation.
Each youth case undergoes a risk and needs assessment, to determine the potential to reoffend and what social supports they might benefit from.
“It is much more serious than what people think,” said Theresa Byrd, a deputy court administrator in the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County.
Penrose told KCUR’s Up To Date that, as of October 31, this year has seen 832 youth delinquency referrals to family court, compared to nearly 1,200 cases by September 2024. She also said that 92% of youth referred to the juvenile system do not reoffend.
Byrd said it’s crucial to provide wraparound services – which include mental health and substance abuse help and education – while supporting the whole family in order to address the root causes of delinquency.
“Without the proper support, without the wraparound services and support, without changing the village in which they came – then what you have is that you have repeated behavior and you have recidivism,” said Byrd.
- Monica Penrose, chief juvenile officer, 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri
- Theresa Byrd, deputy court administrator, 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri
