COLUMBUS, Ohio — Kids continue to steal cars at higher rates in Franklin County than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic, officials say.
Still, receiving stolen property – the charge most often associated with auto theft – isn't on the list of crimes that result in a mandatory hold for an offender in the Juvenile Intervention Center (JIC). That means kids charged with stealing cars may end up back at home – or back on the streets – before they ever make it to court.
“Detention is always a last resort,” said Franklin County Lead Juvenile Judge Lasheyl Stroud.
More than 1,100 juveniles were charged with stolen car cases in Franklin County between January 2021 and July 2023. Thirty-four percent – or 400 kids – were charged with multiple stolen car cases during that time, according to data published by the Franklin County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court.
Stroud said the courts have held more youth in the JIC since 2020 in response to the increased number of car theft filings. She said the JIC averaged 50 to 55 incarcerated youths on any given day in 2020. That number hit 140 just a few weeks ago.
In turn, she said the courts are seeing higher recidivism rates.
“Simply holding you [in the JIC] doesn’t mean when you leave that you’re not going to reoffend,” Stroud said.
Recidivism – when criminals reoffend – is at the heart of ongoing conversations criminal justice officials in Columbus are having about holding youth offenders accountable.
Stroud believes that locking kids up in the JIC isn't always the answer. She said one night incarcerated decreases the chance that a juvenile will graduate high school and increases the likelihood they will spend more time in detention.
"One night away from your home in this type of facility can drastically change the trajectory of your life," she said.
But Columbus Division of Police 1st Assistant Chief LaShanna Potts said nights spent on the streets can transform young car thieves into violent offenders - or victims.
“Guess what we know what happens? Some of these kids end up being either convicted of murder or being murdered themselves. This is about saving our kids,” Potts said.
Youth violence and crime are impacting families across the country, and Stroud and Potts agree no agency or organization has found the solution.
On Thursday at 6 p.m., 10TV investigates changes coming at the local level to treat the issue and a change in the system that decides which youth are incarcerated and which are set free.