A recently released study by Frontpoint Security that was based on statistics from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention looked at juvenile arrests for larceny and robbery by state. Colorado came in at the 14th highest position. The rankings were based on the number of arrests of juveniles between ages 10 and 17 per 100,000 in 2017. (Maryland came in first, and West Virginia was last.)
Both larceny and robbery involve stealing something. A theft crime is considered larceny when the perpetrator didn’t threaten anyone. Robbery involves force or threat. In 2017, 751 young people were charged with juvenile larceny and 44 were charged with juvenile robbery.
When young people are charged as juveniles rather than adults, they face the juvenile justice system, which is considerably different than the one adults deal with. However, groups like the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) still work to try to keep the focus of juvenile justice on rehabilitation rather than incarceration.
A report released just this month by Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman revealed that the state’s youth correctional facilities use a type of full-body restraint a year after a similar practice was prohibited. The report accused the state’s juvenile justice system of policies that are “opaque, inconsistent and inaccessible.”
If your child or teen has been arrested and charged with a juvenile offense, you can’t assume that the system will “go easy” on them since they’re still a kid. It’s essential that your child has an experienced criminal defense attorney to protect their rights and work to mitigate the impact of the charges on their life and future.