EDITORIAL: Local justice reform better for juveniles, county's future

Daily Republic - 6/22/2017

June 22--An innovative approach to improving relationships between youths and law enforcement is coming to Davison County.

In short, the program is meant to redirect youth away from the justice system while still being held accountable for their actions when dealing with criminal matters. Davison County State's Attorney Jim Miskimins told the county commission this week he's received approval from a First Circuit Court judge to move forward with the program.

According to a data compilation from SD Kids Count, there were an estimated 89,814 children and youths ages 10 to 17 in South Dakota in 2015. Of those 1,983 lived in Davison County. And while that age range is only about 10 percent of our county's total population, it's an influential time in a person's life.

That's why we're hoping this new approach is successful. The main vision of South Dakota's Detention Alternatives Initiative is to get youths who are already involved in the juvenile justice system to become healthy adults who can contribute to the community.

Miskimins on Tuesday explained the new program will be an "officer friendly" approach in which law enforcement officers "are not just citing kids into court, but they're working on solutions for families, building relationships with children and their families."

That seems to be a proactive way to make youth and children less afraid of officers and a way to lower recidivism, or the tendency for criminal to reoffend.

We hope this program helps the long-term fight against crime and drug abuse in Mitchell and the local region. If officers can give some leeway to juvenile offenders early in their life, perhaps those youths can learn from their mistakes and recognize the second chance they were given.

This is a strong approach to making Mitchell and Davison County a better place to live. And we think our law enforcement officers and other involved agencies will take positive steps in helping guide it in the right direction.

We're excited to see the outcome and appreciate Miskimins for the initiative.

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