Report: juvenile crime up in 2002

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM--The rise in the number of juvenile offenders in 2002 almost had Brown County officials worried--just before it began to drop, said probation director Les Schultz.

A Probation Department report, issued to Brown County commissioners last week, found that the total number of juvenile offenders rose last year to its highest level since 1996. The report also found that adult offenders were also at a six-year high in 2002.

Statistically, there were far more male offenders than females and far more white offenders than any other ethic group. A small percentage of people on probation in 2002 were Hispanic and none were black, Asian or American Indian, the report said.

The most common type of offenses for probation were misdemeanors, with gross misdemeanors the second most common and felonies--which are considered to be the most serious crimes--the most rare of the three categories.

DWIs were ranked as the most common offense among adults on probation. When the report was generated on Dec. 31, 2002, 124 adults were on probation for gross misdemeanor DWI offenses and 103 were on probation for misdemeanor DWI offenses.

All other traffic offenses were the second-highest category of crimes for adults on probation, with 81 at the misdemeanor level, nine at the gross misdemeanor level and one at the felony level.

Crimes against the government, like terrorist threats, were the third most common offense for adults on probation. Twenty-six people were on probation for misdemeanors and nine were on probation for gross misdemeanors.

Misdemeanor assault was ranked as the fourth-highest offense for adult probation at the end of 2002, with 22 adults serving at the misdemeanor level, one at the gross misdemeanor level and seven at the felony level.

"Sometimes you just don't know why," replied Schultz in response to a question about the increase in juvenile offenders. He said more police surveillance of juveniles, plus younger, more aggressive police officers, have contributed to the jump.

Schultz pointed out that the total number of juveniles on probation includes what the county calls "teen court offenders"--first-time offenders who are questioned and then sentenced by a trained jury of their peers.

The program is open to first-time offenders only and juveniles can only enter teen court after they admit their crimes and have permission from their parents. Schultz said teen court typically deals with misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor charges like thefts and city ordinance violations.

Among gross misdemeanors, DWIs were the most common offense for probation. Schultz cited changes in the state's DWI laws, made a couple years ago, for the upswing in the numbers.

"Under the old law, it was 'two within five' or 'three within 10'," he explained. "Now, if it's (a blood-alcohol level of) .20 or more, it's an automatic gross misdemeanor."

The state adopted a felony DWI law that went into effect in August 2002 that says four DWIs within 10 years is an automatic felony. Schultz said Brown County has only seen about three such cases since the law went into effect, which hasn't affected the county's felony probation caseload much.