Probation report: Juvenile cases down; adults up

Use of Sentence to Service

at 10-year high

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- The number of juvenile criminal offender cases in Brown County decreased in 2001, while the number of adult offenders increased, according to a report released by the Brown County Probation Department.

The report also showed that the number of drunk-driving offenders is at a 10-year high, as are the number of hours that qualified jail inmates spent in Sentence To Serve (STS), the county's work program.

Probation Director Les Schultz reported that a new driver's license program and an additional STS crew leader are two reasons probation program numbers shot up in 2001.

"The crime rate is down, but our caseload is up," Schultz said.

In 1996, there were 237 juvenile offenders in Brown County who were responsible for 450 cases. By comparison, the county only saw 162 adults commit 254 different crimes.

Statistically, the changeover came in 1999, when 256 adults committed 569 crimes, while 207 juveniles committed 347 crimes. Since then, both juvenile numbers have decreased; the number of adult offenders has stayed relatively the same, but the caseload in 1999 and 2000 stayed at above 500 cases.

The report shows that most of the offenders on probation are men and most offenders are white. in 2001, there were 433 male offenders on probation, versus 84 women. Using terms in the port, 466 offenders were listed as "White," and 51 were listed as "White Hispanic."

The report comes at the same time as a similar document released by the Minnesota Department of Corrections. The DOC report outlines what that department says are problem areas within Minnesota's probation systems. It found that offenders who received individualized treatment are 30 percent less likely to commit another crime.

It also found that while crime is down, probation use is up and blames increased legislative attention to crime for increased use of probation programs. Lower-risk cases are "choking probation's ability to supervise higher-risk offenders," according to the report.

Finally, it said "the gap between current practice in Minnesota and best practice is widening."

Schultz identified restorative justice programs like victim-offender mediation, home visits, home monitoring and behavioral intervention as initiatives outlined in the DOC report that are working in Brown County.

He also outlined four objectives that he said the Probation Department plans to implement this year. The efforts will concentrate mostly on monitoring the department's various programs through surveys, meetings and researching other counties' programs.

The Probation Department plans to arrange a retreat in order to improve its efficiency and plans to do so by June 2002.