SCOTT COUNTY YOUTH PLANNING REPORT

MAYOR FRANK KLIPSCH

BACKGROUND

 In the summer of 2018, in response to the increase in juvenile car thefts in Scott County, Juvenile
Court Services partnered with the Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning (DCJJP) to bring
technical assistance consultants to Scott County to help address the issue
 At the same time, the Mayor began hosting community summits to discuss the challenges facing youth
in our community resulting in criminal behavior with over 650 people participating
 These two efforts merged as the consultants from DCJJP worked with community stakeholders over
the summer, culminating in a two day work session in August
FOUR PART PLANNING PROCESS

 Listening Sessions | Approximately 625 community partners, system partners and community
members participated over multiple listening sessions
 Data Review | Review of auto theft related charges were reviewed to look for trends in our
community
 Restorative Justice Resources | Education and discussion on best practices for incorporating
restorative justice practices across the juvenile justice continuum
 Scott County Youth Community Planning Summit | Approximately 50 representatives of the
juvenile justice system, provider organizations and community members gathers to review data and
discuss action steps
WORK SESSION PARTICIPANTS

Davenport Police IowaWORKS LULAC

Bettendorf Police One Eighty Scott County Kids
Eldridge Police Juvenile Detention Center PUNCH
Scott County Sherriff DHS Vera French
Davenport Schools Diocese of Davenport Safer Foundation
Churches United City of Davenport NAACP
Judicial Representatives City of Eldridge
Juvenile Court Services Family Resources
Child Advocacy Board Lutheran Family Services
FINDINGS

 Since 2013, overall juvenile crime rates in Scott County have decreased by 32%. This means that
residents are 30% less likely to be a victim of juvenile crime today than in 2013.
 Since 2016, crime has begun to increase from 2013 levels, including a 212% increase in juvenile auto
thefts
 A larger proportion of auto theft allegations are against repeat offenders, but allegations against
first time offenders has also increased significantly
 African American youth are represent approximately 90% of auto theft allegations compared to
approximately 60% of all other offense allegations
 Youth lack prosocial alternatives and positive role models, often not seeing a future for themselves
 Delayed accountability lead youth to believe they will not face consequences for their actions
WHAT IS GOING RIGHT

 Overall juvenile crime is down 32% since 2013

 Accountability has increased throughout the system
 Because of the threat to community safety that each car theft can present, for the past two years
auto thefts have been charged as felonies
 All auto thefts are being seen in front of a judge
 Use of Juvenile Detention and out of home placement for juvenile offenders have kept pace with
the increase in auto thefts
 Community partners are invested and strategizing on creative ideas to effectively intervene and
ultimately prevent these thefts
DIVERSION PROGRAM

 Began in 2016 and has served 418 youth since inception

 Program for first time juvenile simple misdemeanor offenses and meant to divert youth from the
juvenile justice system
 Family attendance is mandatory throughout the program
 Program is staffed by volunteer Juvenile Court Officers, Police Officers and young adults who have
navigated the Juvenile Justice System and have made successes of their lives.
 Recidivism rate in Scott County in FY18 was 7% compared to a statewide recidivism rate of 33%
 Cumulative recidivism rate over three years is16%
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PRACTICES
ACTION STEPS | IMMEDIATE
 Information Sharing | Institute new systems to ease the flow of information to speed up the court
process and provide quicker accountability
 Priority Policies | Determine policy changes needed to ease partnership, connect resources and
ease access of services
 Create Awareness of Existing Programs | Assist families in understanding and accessing current
services available to them
 Case Review Team | Establish a case review team where challenging cases can be reviewed to
identify resources and interventions
 Auto Theft Accountability Program | Use restorative justice practices to offer quicker and more
impactful accountability to first-time offenders
 Parent Partner Program | Assist parents in navigating the system and enhancing family engagement
to ensure better success of the juvenile
 Restorative Justice Practices | Focuses the rehabilitation of offenders through the reconciliation
with victims and the community at large
ACTION STEPS | LONG-TERM

 Creation of a Community Collaborative | Responsible for the continued progress of long term
action steps associated with this plan
 Juvenile Assessment Center | A two-tiered approach that includes:
 Assessment component to provide a quick, holistic assessment of youth following arrest to
expedite the court process and reduce the burden on law enforcement
 Services component to facilitate easy access to resources and services without the requirement of
system involvement to youth and families as a prevention and early intervention strategy
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

 Establish a community collaborative as a mechanism

for building partnerships across the community to
move long term goals forward
 Scott County Kids has established a subcommittee
for this purpose
 Representatives include law enforcement, juvenile
court services, judicial system, schools, DHS, juvenile
detention, Scott County Kids, city/county
government, and the private sector
JUVENILE ASSESSMENT CENTER

 Law Enforcement Component | Provides a quick, holistic assessment of youth following

arrest to expedite the court process and reduce the burden on law enforcement
 Preventative Services Component | Facilitates easy access to resources and services
without the requirement of system involvement to youth and families. By increasing access
to services as a prevention and early intervention strategy, symptoms of trauma and mental
illness are treated in a preventative fashion. Overtime, this preventative strategy will help
lower the number of juveniles entering the juvenile justice system
MOVING FORWARD

 Support the work of the community collaborative as they continue to work on short and long term
strategies
 What is already happening?
 Mayor’s Job Fair
 180 App to connect to services
 Engage youth you come in contact with!
THANK YOU

Nicole Mann, Scott County Kids Major Shawn Roth, Scott County Sherriff
Scott Hobart, Juvenile Court Services Lori Frick, DHS
Dave Tristan, Juvenile Court Services Dion Trowers, Scott County Attorney’s Office
Jeremy Kaiser, Juvenile Detention Center
Judge Cheryl Traum, Judicial Branch
TJ Schneckloth, Davenport Schools
Sarah Ott, City of Davenport
Chief Paul Sikorski, Davenport Police
Chief Keith Kimball, Bettendorf Police