SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County juvenile probation referral trends are troubling those in the juvenile court system like Judge Carlos Quezada. But some programs are helping teens stay out of trouble.
“The trends are that violent crime is on the rise right now with juveniles,” Quezada said.
In 2021, there were 448 violent referrals in the system, up from 402 the year before but still down from 575 in 2019. Twelve juveniles were in the system for murder/manslaughter in 2021, up from nine the year before. Sexual assault-related crimes also saw a jump to 177 in 2021 from 127 in 2020, and 167 were reported in 2019.
Quezada says there’s positive news. The programs in place to keep kids out of a life of crime are working.
“What you will see is that the recidivism rate is down. That’s the truth. The intervention that we are doing is working,” he said.
The program’s success can also be measured in the direct change Quezada said he sees in youth.
A 17-year old who is wrapping up his time in the gang court program says it’s changed his life and outlook on his future.
“It’s harder when you’re out there, you know? I know how it is, so you don’t think before you do something. You just do it. And then you think about it later when you’re sitting in the cell. That’s when it all just comes to you,” the teen said.
Growing up as the oldest of eight without a father figure, he says he got into the wrong crowd who were mentoring him in the wrong direction. But in gang court, it was different. Meeting with the judge and his probation officer every two weeks and setting goals gave him a drive.
“I never had a dad in my life, so I had someone like my [probation officer] in my life to help me motivate me and push me to do good,” the teen said. “I had my judge right here and always helped me, motivated me.”
The teen is only a few months away from ending his probation. But he’s got a job and hopes to do something better with his life, including saving his money to invest in real estate and cryptocurrency.
Quezada said the success would be different for each kid in gang court, but he truly believes that the change will impact entire households.
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