This is the eighth of a series of stories about the Sheriff’s Citizens Academy at Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. The academy is for citizens interested in learning more about the sheriff’s office. The academy is free and lasts 16 weeks. The next class starts in January. For more information, contact Deputy Greg Dotson at 615-904-3033.
A 13-year-old Rutherford County boy convicted of vehicular homicide was placed in custody until his 19th birthday.
And a 7-year-old boy was held in the Juvenile Detention Center after being charged with stealing $8,000 worth of property in a home burglary, said Rutherford County Juvenile Court Judge Donna Scott Davenport.
Unfortunately, it’s normal to hold 8- to 10-year-old children accused of committing crimes in detention, Davenport explained to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Citizens’ Academy.
In the case of the 7-year-old boy, his parents were not supervising him or his 8-year-old brother.
Juvenile Court is geared not toward punishment but rehabilitation by state law.
“We want them to feel the sting,” Davenport said, adding the programs and treatment are geared to stop the child’s bad behavior. “We don’t want them to turn 18 and go to prison.”
Davenport, full time Juvenile Magistrate Keith Siskin and part-time Magistrate Adam Dodd hear cases where children are charged with crimes. They also preside over child parenting and visitation cases, abused and neglected children, and trust funds for children whose parents are deceased.
Davenport said she believes many children can be saved and protected through Juvenile Court and services offered.
“We want them to be good, productive adults,” Davenport said.
Once a child is charged with a crime, the judge or magistrates hold a detention hearing where they listen to testimony about the child’s involvement. They consider if the child is a risk to himself or herself, a risk to the community, and whether a child should be kept at the Juvenile Detention Center.
“We hold all felons and repeat offenders,” Davenport said.
Detention hearings are held each weekday, except Thursdays. Trials are held Tuesdays and Thursdays, motions on Wednesdays and appeals on Fridays.
If found guilty of a less serious delinquent crime, a child usually faces unsupervised probation. Repeat offenders follow the progressing steps of supervised probation and state probation.
Children who do not respond to treatment will be committed to state custody with a maximum limit to their 19th birthday.
Juveniles must have committed three felonies before they can be kept until their 19th birthday.
More serious charges include weapons and drug offenses.
For the most serious charges such as murder, rape or aggravated robbery, the district attorney can request a transfer to Rutherford County Circuit Court, where the child may be tried as an adult. The judge listens to both the prosecutor and defense to determine if the child should be transferred.
One of the ways to treat children is through the Sheriff’s Office’s Operation Integrity. In the one-day program, children learn from inmates about incarceration. They undergo a series of exercises and classes while their parents attend a four-hour session. The goal is to change their behavior and build their self-esteem.
Operation Integrity is one of the best programs that the Sheriff’s Office has implemented, Davenport said.
Juvenile Court also regulates parents ensuring their children attend school. In one case, a parent told Davenport she could not get her daughter, who was in kindergarten, to go to school.
“There’s no reason a little one shouldn’t go to school,” Davenport said.
The School Resource Officers assigned to county schools provide knowledge about the child and their behavior since they are with them every day.
Davenport said people wonder why she performs her job.
“I know tomorrow’s a better day, and we’re going to save a child,” Davenport said.
Sheriff’s Citizens Academy members toured the 64-bed Juvenile Detention Center, where Director Lynn Duke explained how the children are classified.
For example, runaways and unruly children are housed away from children who commit adult crimes. Gang members are also kept in separate pods.
The staff checks on all of the juveniles every 30 minutes.
“We try to be very structured,” Duke said.
Children are required to attend two hours of school each day, and the grades are applied to their transcripts when they return to school. They are taught life skills such as health, business, math and how to complete a job application. They receive one hour of recreation each day, and they remain in their cells 20 hours a day to read paperback books and study.
About one-third of the children take prescription medicines. Parents are responsible for paying for medicines. A nurse supervises the medicines given.
“We’re very (conscientious) about safety and security,” Duke said.
The staff’s efforts led to being rated one of the top Juvenile Detention Centers in the country. |
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