ST. LOUIS — A week after a teen was arrested for two carjackings about a day apart, a statewide law enforcement association called for reform of the justice system that allowed for his release.
The Law Enforcement Legislative Coalition on Monday said the juvenile justice “point system†is broken and hampers police departments’ efforts to deter crime.
“Allowing juveniles to continue to commit felony-level offenses and offering no deterrent doesn’t help that young person succeed,†Lake Saint Louis Police Chief Chris DiGiuseppi said in a release. “It sets them up for failure as they continue to escalate in criminal offenses.â€
The Law Enforcement Legislative Coalition is a statewide police advocacy group. The point system, called the Juvenile Detention Assessment, is used by most Missouri courts to determine whether an arrested juvenile should be released or held in custody. It assigns points to minors based on the crimes they commit — similar to how points are assigned to a driver’s license for traffic offenses.
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A score of 15 points is required to detain a minor, . Class A felonies, the worst crimes, count for the full 15 points — enough to be detained after the first offense. But most felonies only count for 12.
The system was instituted in 2013, according to state records.
Last week, a group of teenagers was arrested by St. Louis police after an armed carjacking that ended in a miles-long chase and a crash in Bridgeton.
But the teens were released to their parents because their crimes didn’t reach the full 15 points required to detain them, police spokesperson Mitch McCoy said at the time.
About a day later, that same group of teens were involved in yet another carjacking, police believe. That day, McCoy called for reform of the point system.
Bridgeton Police Chief Mark Mossotti said his officers were involved in the first carjacking.
“We had police officers who were injured after that incident,†Mossotti said in the release, “and we’re now learning that the suspect must have been quickly released, because he committed another carjacking within 48 hours of the first incident.â€
The same 16-year-old driver was taken into custody both times, McCoy said.
Police said Monday no additional arrests have been made in the carjackings.
St. Charles County Police Chief Kurt Frisz said in the coalition’s press release that his county’s juvenile detention center would bypass the point system and hold juveniles anyway.
“In St. Charles County, we will hold offenders who have committed a felony offense such as stealing a vehicle, while other juvenile justice centers within our region will not,†he said.
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