SHERIDAN — During a joint powers board meeting Tuesday, Sheridan County’s Juvenile Justice Commission discussed possible upcoming changes to housing for juveniles awaiting trial due to lack of options in local detention facilities and new federal rules.
In general, Sheridan County Juvenile Services Specialist Jennifer Palser explained before the board, juvenile diversion numbers are increasing, meaning more youth in Sheridan County are steered away from the criminal justice system and toward alternative services. However, Palser said, challenges remain in housing youth in jails and other detention centers.
Like the adult criminal-legal system, the juvenile justice system involves two distinct incarcerative settings: juvenile jail facilities, where youth await the disposition of their criminal case; and juvenile detention centers, where youth are sent after being adjudicated delinquent. While three youth in Sheridan County are currently awaiting transfer to the Wyoming Boys School, Palser said, other juveniles are currently held in youth-approved jails throughout Wyoming.
Before the Legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee earlier this month, Byron Oedekoven, executive director of the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, said there are only six youth-approved jails in Wyoming. Sheridan County Sheriff Allen Thompson confirmed Sheridan County Detention Center is not one of these youth-approved juvenile facilities.
According to Palser, Sheridan County contracts with jails in Natrona and Campbell counties to house juveniles in youth-approved facilities. However, although Sheridan County currently has one juvenile housed at the juvenile jail in Gillette, Campbell County is now at capacity and no longer accepting additional juveniles for detention. Sheridan County currently has a few juveniles in jail in Natrona County, Palser said, and would have to send any additional juveniles requiring jail-based incarceration to Natrona County.
Board Chair Ginger Stout wondered how this might affect the case of Christian Torres, the 15-year-old accused of killing his guardian, Edgar “Eddie” Jones, in July.
Because of the nature of his alleged crime, Torres is charged as an adult and held in the Sheridan County Detention Center, an adult jail facility. However, during a hearing earlier this month, Torres’ defense team announced plans to attempt to move the case to the juvenile justice system.
Should this motion be successful, Palser said, Torres would be housed in the juvenile-approved jail in Natrona County while awaiting juvenile proceedings.
Should this motion be denied, new federal legislation would likely impact Torres’ detention at the Sheridan County Detention Center. The Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018, a federal law intended to reduce the risk of future incarceration for at-risk youth offenders, will go into effect Dec. 21, 2021, Palser explained before the board.
The law will prohibit juveniles from being housed in adult facilities unless this housing situation is “in the interest of justice,” as determined by the age and maturity of the juvenile, circumstances of the alleged offense and the ability of the adult facility to meet the juvenile’s safety and other needs, among other factors. According to Palser, the ability of a particular adult facility to house a particular juvenile will be determined by an initial hearing and confirmed by additional hearings every 30 days, during which the court will determine whether the adult facility is indeed the best place for the juvenile to be housed.
Whether and how the Juvenile Justice Reform Act will impact Torres’ case, though, is yet to be determined.
The Juvenile Justice Commission’s Joint Powers Board will meet next Dec. 28 at 5:30 p.m.
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November 27, 2021 at 04:00PM
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Juveniles and jails: Sheridan County Juvenile Justice Commission Joint Powers Board meeting indicates possible changes to juvenile housing - The Sheridan Press
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