“Delinquent: Our System, Our Kids” is a special series examining Cuyahoga County's juvenile justice system through the eyes of the kids who go through it. Courts are designed to offer programs to rehabilitate kids, and most of the time they work, but some kids, like Demetrius, still slip through the cracks.
Cuyahoga County's juvenile justice system supports numerous programs designed to rehabilitate youth offenders, but some kids still slip through the cracks.CLEVELAND, Ohio – Standing in juvenile court awaiting arraignment last year, 15-year-old Demetrius was unphased. He’d done this routine five times in four years for low-level offenses, and court was starting to feel like a revolving door.
Demetrius is one of more than 50 juvenile offenders – referred to by middle name or pseudonym – who spoke to The Plain Dealer/cleveland.com about their recent experiences within the Cuyahoga County juvenile justice system, which puts more children behind bars than any other county in Ohio.
Once, when she refused to let him inside the house, he shoved open the door, grabbed his belongings and tried to run away. She called police, who wanted to send Demetrius to a program for unruly youth. But his aunt declined, having him charged with disorderly conduct instead, records show. With each delinquency, the court escalated sanctions, ordering him to stay in detention and two different residential facilities, before sending him to probation. His case was also referred to a specialized docket catering to youth whose behavior might be driven by a mental health condition. Demetrius is diagnosed with ADHD, trauma-stressor disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder.The judge on the mental health docket asked the family to again consider MST.
She hoped MST would get them all on track, especially Demetrius, who by then had three delinquencies and a reputation for impulsive and risk-taking behaviors. It was a rocky start. “That’s why it’s always good to have it,” Demetrius justifies. “Because if I didn’t, we wouldn’t have a house.” Amid the chaos, Demetrius ran and called 911, seeking shelter at a nearby restaurant while directing officers back to the shooting scene. By the time police arrived, one of the witnesses had stashed the 15-year-old’s gun, which was never recovered. The target also later admitted to throwing away a bullet casing.
Demetrius is one of the unsuccessful ones who continued to cycle through the system despite interventions. He can’t answer why, though he argues that nothing could have prevented him from being falsely accused of a murder. However, he suspects poverty might have contributed to his other crimes. It put pressure on him to survive, by any means.
DeAndre started shoplifting clothes, some to wear and others to sell for profit, he says. Then his mother says she found stolen computers in his room and turned him in to police, adding more charges to his record. “She keeps it real,” he says now, without resentment. Demetrius had the support of his alleged victim’s family, who not only were advocating against his bindover but were calling for all charges to be dropped. They felt the 15-year-old who fired the fatal shot should be held accountable, not Demetrius, and accused police of ignoring evidence in the case.His psychological evaluation said he was more amenable to reform than 79% of other justice-involved youth in the county.
That had apparently changed by the time of the hearing. Sweeney said her notes showed him recently being moved to a slightly higher security level, though she did not say what caused the move. Even so, Hustick implored, he had shown good behavior deserving of a second chance.
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