With the recent rash of juvenile-related crimes ravishing the community, many have questioned the proceedings of the local youth court system. Judge Betsy Cotton spoke with The Yazoo Herald to share how the youth court system works, as well as a few insights into what trends she has noticed through her proceedings.
Concerning juvenile crime, has Cotton seen an increase?
“Absolutely,” she replied. “Kids have guns, and they are shooting into houses, cars and at other teenagers. But these are considered adult crimes. Once a child has committed a crime that involves using a weapon to shoot at occupied dwellings, occupied cars or at another person, those charges are upgraded to adult charges. And those will not even come to me.”
Some residents feel that violent crime offenses being committed by juveniles automatically head to the local youth court. But that is not the case, according to Cotton. She said those type of offenses typically head to Circuit Court, Justice Court or Municipal Court.
“However, the possession of weapons, merely possession, do come to me,” Cotton said. “The sad reality is that the kids are still getting guns. If those guns are not registered, then they are forfeited to whatever law enforcement agency is in charge of the case in an effort to keep the guns off the street.”
Cotton said many times the weapons in the hands of some juveniles do belong to their parents, often unaware. The registered weapons are returned to those parents.
“But if they ever come back to with possession of the firearm, the parents do not get them back,” she said. “That has rarely happened. But I would say that 99 percent of the time, these guns do not belong to the parents.”
In situations where a juvenile is in possession of a weapon that was stolen, the registered weapon is also returned to the victim.
“But that is not where the majority of these guns are coming from either,” Cotton added. “I believe that the problem we have is that adults are providing these guns to teenagers, partly because the kids’ penalties are not the same as adult penalties.”
And most of those weapons are not registered, nor will the juvenile ever reveal who provided them.
Drugs
The local youth drug court program concluded its most recent session on May 16. Cotton said 11 juveniles successfully graduated from the most recent program. Since beginning the program, she said a total of 24 juveniles have successfully completed the program.
“Juvenile Intervention Court can last anywhere from six months to two years, depending on their compliance,” Cotton said. “Fortunately, none have come back through the drug court. We mostly deal with marijuana, but this year we have seen an increase of Spice (synthetic cannabinoids) and creatine.”
Another successful program is the YES program geared towards 16- to 17-year-olds, Cotton added. This program covers reality fairs, passing the GED program and education in life skills, such as budgeting and resume building.
“That program gets them ready so when a door is open, they can go and be what they what to be,” she said. “It has been extremely successful.”
Gang Activity
Although the recent East Side versus West Side gang activity being reported within the community, Cotton said she believes there are anywhere from 10 to 15 gang affiliated groups within the community.
“There is a full presence of gang activity in Yazoo City,” she said. “Some kids begin in these small groups, almost like clubs or clans. They start off young, not really doing anything. But they call themselves a gang. But as they get older, they are manipulated into joining these larger groups. Then they become stuck, with some feeling that they can’t leave. Some feel there is a sense of belonging, being a part of a group. But some get involved, realize they don’t want to be in them, but then they can’t get out because of intimidation or fear.”
Fear of retaliation is what also fuels the lack of justice when it comes to certain juvenile-related crimes.
“The biggest issue we have is that many are not coming forward with what they know for fear of retaliation,” Cotton said. “We can rely on surveillance cameras. But identifying what they saw and who they know…they are scared of what might could happen.”
Curfew
Cotton said she only handles curfew violations if the juvenile is already on probation. The current juvenile curfew within Yazoo City, based on the city ordinance, states that “it shall be unlawful for any minor to remain in or upon any public street, highway, park, vacant lot or other place within the city during the following period ending at 5:00 a.m. and beginning: 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nights; and 11:30 p.m. on Friday or Saturday nights.”
For curfew violations, the city ordinance states that the juvenile can be placed into police custody. “When a minor is taken to the police department, the minor's parents shall be immediately contacted” and released to the parent or guardian. A repeat offense can lead to a $50 fine for the first offense, $100 for the second, and $200 for the third and subsequent offenses.
