A 12-year-old is in juvenile detention. There’s nowhere else to go.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - An emergency hearing on Monday for a 12-year-old boy locked up in juvenile detention highlighted the ongoing challenges in finding help for young offenders in Minnesota.
The Brief
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and the boy’s mother appeared in court Monday afternoon and acknowledged the child would continue to pose a risk to public safety if he is released back to his family’s home.
But the state also admitted they are struggling to find a place for the boy to receive psychiatric treatment. He was just denied admission to one treatment center, and another does not have any openings until October.
Meanwhile, the boy’s attorney argued that he should be released immediately because it is against the law to keep him locked up in juvenile detention since he is incompetent in the eyes of the court.
"He cannot be kept here," said Tracy Reid. She added that riots and lockdowns at the detention center make it an inappropriate place to keep such a young child.
What’s Next
The judge ultimately granted a motion to have the boy placed in emergency care even though there is currently nowhere for him to go.
The county now has three days to find the boy a place in a psychiatric residential treatment facility. They are seeking treatment outside of Minnesota, an option attorneys say his mother has endorsed.
If they don’t, the office could be held in contempt of court during another hearing scheduled for Friday afternoon.
"The court cannot and will not leave this child languishing in the Juvenile Detention Center," Judge Todd Fellman said.
The Backstory
Monday’s proceedings pulled back the curtain on a complicated and stressed juvenile justice system. Throughout the year, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty have publicly pointed the finger at each other for not doing enough to curb crime by juveniles, including shootings, assaults, and violent car thefts.
The boy’s alleged criminal activity was not detailed in court, but the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said he has been a known risk for a while.
Clarification: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referenced an attorney with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office as a prosecutor.
Source
FOX 9 attended an emergency welfare hearing at the Juvenile Justice Center in Minneapolis. While it was a public hearing, FOX 9 does not identify juveniles in the court system.