SAN ANTONIO – Teens involved in crimes have dominated the headlines in recent weeks, and it’s reflected in the number of referrals the Bexar County Juvenile Probation Office has been seeing.
Chief Probation Officer Jill Mata said the increases in crime include those related to drugs, domestic violence and vehicle thefts.
Mata said the majority of youth ages 10 to under 17 who enter the system will be able to get the help they need after intervention.
“You have a small percentage of those children who do repeat their offenses and stay in the system, and those kids get obviously a lot of attention by everybody,” she said. “And that small group of kids are responsible for committing a lot of the offenses that you’re hearing about.”
Data provided by the department shows the trend between January and October 2023 is up year to year.
The Bexar County Juvenile Probation Office tracked a 12.9% increase in violent referrals, which includes murders and sexual assaults, and a 46% increase in non-violent referrals, which include vehicle thefts, drugs and weapon crimes. It also saw a nearly 13% increase in misdemeanor crimes, including assault, mischief, and trespassing.
The total number of felonies for juveniles in Bexar County had a 35.4% increase.
Mata said that children considered high-risk are being closely monitored and supervised. Those children often face issues at home, such as food and housing insecurities. They’re also often associated with runaways, drugs, and a lack of extracurricular activities.
“One of the most important interventions for a child is having a pro-social positive adult in their life. So there are ways to do that informally and formally,” she said. “The vast majority of kids that come to us are for low-level offenses. And if we can address those kids — intervene positively with those kids at that earliest connection — that’s where we can turn things around.”
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