CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Division of Police says it is seeing an increased number of crimes committed by juveniles.
Over the last few weeks, they announced multiple arrests of teens in connection with car break-ins and aggravated robberies.
Cleveland Police Sgt. Freddy Diaz tells 3News many of the teens are familiar faces that officers have arrested multiple times, but keep committing crimes.
“A sense of, you know, spinning our wheels in a lot of these investigations where we're barely finishing one and they already have two or three others, you know, lining up for these investigators,” said Diaz. “Resources that are spent on these repeat types of crimes could be turned around and utilized in other, you know, crimes or incidents that may be occurring in the city.”
Diaz says the cycle of catch-and-release is frustrating for detectives, working to investigate back-to-back offenses.
“You know, the police is arresting them. You know what do we do now? What else can we do to provide the resources that these juveniles need, whether it's counseling, whether it's stiffer consequences, whether it's, you know, more punishment,” said Diaz.
According to data from the Ohio Department of Youth Services, 208 juveniles were sentenced to serve a period of incarceration at an ODYS facility in fiscal year 2010. Since then, the number has significantly declined, and last fiscal year, just 73 youths were sentenced to a period of incarceration at ODYS.
The decline could be attributed in part to an ODYS program called Reclaim, which incentivizes courts to send juvenile offenders to outside rehabilitation programs instead of detention centers with funding.
According to the ODYS website, “under the formula, each court is given a number of “credits” based on the court’s average number of youth adjudicated for felony offenses. Those credits are reduced by one credit for each chargeable DYS bed day used during the previous year and 2/3 credit for each chargeable community corrections facility bed day used during the previous year. Each court’s percentage of the remaining credits statewide translates into that court’s percentage of the total RECLAIM funds allocated to the courts.”
3News reached out to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office for comment on juvenile repeat offenders.
A spokesperson for the office sent us this statement:
“While one of the purposes of the juvenile system is to rehabilitate offenders, there are other purposes including protecting the public interest and safety, holding the offender accountable for the offender's actions, and restoring the victim. Far too often, these other factors are being ignored. In this county, we see numerous examples of juveniles with felonies continuing to cycle through the system with little to no consequences. With a lack of consequences, we routinely see escalations that result in more victims, more violent crimes, and more felony charges. It is our hope that this recent public outcry regarding the escalation in juvenile violence leads to positive changes, a focus on community safety, and the protection of the public.”
3News also reached out to Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb's office to see how the city is tackling the problem of juvenile crime.
They sent us this statement and information:
We recognize that youth engagement is fundamental, not only to reduce criminal activity, but also to enhance the quality of life of our residents. That’s why as part of our Summer Safety Plan, we directly engaged with our communities, successfully delivering a 37% decrease in murders, and a 13% reduction in overall violent crime.
This year, our Community Relations and the Office of Prevention, Intervention, & Opportunity partnered with Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.), Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), Cleveland Public Library (CPL), the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Cleveland Foundation, and others, partnered with the City of Cleveland to provide access to high-quality programming to keep youth engaged. Programming included:
- 11,385 unique youths participated in summer experiences, which included:
- 2,554 attended CMSD Learning Experiences across 14 sites
- 1,210 employed with Y.O.U. Job Experiences
- Over 152,884 hours worked & more than $2 million earned
- 163 worked at City Rec Centers while others were employed by a variety of private, public, & nonprofit partners
- 2,617 participated in City of Cleveland Programming (sports, arts, camps, etc.)
- 4,076 took part in CPL Literacy Programs at 26 branches & Main Library
- 598 Social Support Specialist interactions with residents at Rec Centers that included services & referrals for emotional support, employment, housing, mentoring, alcohol / drug / mental health providers, rental/utility assistance, education, & others. Of those, 244 interactions were located within/near the identified safety zones.
- 123 players participated in the Hoops After Dark league, which also included various workshops focused on financial literacy, voter registration, firearm safety, mental and behavioral health, along with other topics. They also attended the Job/Resource Fair where more than 30 employers and resource groups were present.
- 67 youth engaged by violence interrupters, street outreach teams, and other representatives in/near hotspot locations (e.g. gas stations, convenient stores, parking lots, etc.) between 8p-2a Wednesdays through Sundays, with several receiving referrals to employment resources, educational programming, legal assistance, wraparound evaluation and mental health services, and others.
In 2023 and 2024, the City of Cleveland also partnered with the Cleveland Foundation distributing $2 Million through our Neighborhood Safety Fund, supporting programs and organizations targeting the root causes of violence, particularly among young people.