MI prosecutor: There are not enough places to house juvenile offenders
By JAMES FELTON, JAMES PAXSON
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MICHIGAN (WNEM) — In the wake of the deadly shooting at Oxford High School more students have been making violent threats towards schools causing more Michigan juvenile detention centers to fill up.
A lack of beds at the juvenile centers have reached a critical stage forcing some to house minors at a county jail.
It is not just beds, these facilities are short on, as many are also dealing with staffing shortages and other issues.
Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene said there are not enough places to house juvenile offenders.
“This is a significant public safety issue,” Reene said. “We simply don’t have adequate bed space available. The situation has been becoming progressively worse for a number of years.”
A student was arrested after being accused of making a threat at Ruth Fox Middle School in North Branch. The 14-year-old girl had to be held at the Tuscola County Jail for a short time while authorities tried to find a location to place her.
“We have to search for available beds. And that’s a process that you go through. And that involves, often times, it is a statewide search,” Renee said.
The girl was sent to a facility in Eaton County. Reene said a variety of factors have contributed to this problem.
The raise the age law, which pushes up the age offenders can automatically be charged as adults from 17 to 18, being one of them.
“You need more counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists, to staff those particular facilities and then other personnel,” Renee said.
Reene said there needs to be more juvenile facilities that are set up and capable of providing treatment.
“And if not addressed, the manner in which juveniles are treated is not going to be done in the manner it has in the past,” Renee said.
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