Juvenile crime continues to decline in Grant County
Crimes referred to the prosecutor's office each dropped about 40 percent since 2008.
EPHRATA - Ahead of his November re-election bid, Prosecutor Angus Lee released statistics this week showing a steady decline in juvenile crime since he took office in 2009.
Crimes referred to the prosecutor's office and violent juveniles crimes have each dropped about 40 percent since 2008, according to the statistics.
Nonviolent felonies and violent misdemeanors have each increased slightly during that period.
Statistics show Grant County prosecuted 1,123 juvenile crimes in 2008 and 664 in 2013.
Lee explained the reduction in juvenile crimes is due in part to his 2009 decision to allow his office to prosecute juveniles. Lee said he appointed an additional prosecutor to handle the cases as well.
"Juvenile crime prosecution has always been a priority for me. In 2009 we started prosecuting with a focus on preventing future crime by making sure there were swift and certain sanctions for juvenile offenders," he stated. "This approach has paid off and we are seeing reduced crime from our juveniles."
Grant County Juvenile Detention Center Director Warren Swanson agrees with Lee that the number of youth getting into trouble with the law is down recently, but said many other factors also contributed.
He said Grant County and Washington have seen a reduction in juvenile crime for about 10 years because of court programs that are getting officials to more closely track serious offenders and even visit homes of repeat offenders.
Swanson said those programs reduced the number of youth who continue to get in trouble.
"It can be hard for the public to see, but there has definitely been a significant reduction," he said. "There's a lot more factors than just the prosecutor's office though, it is mostly sociological changes and the courts focusing on problem kids and putting resources toward those main problems," he said.
Lee notes in order to reduce overall crime in Grant County, it is important to continue to reduce juvenile crime to deter future career criminals. Earlier this month he announced a more aggressive stance on prosecuting youth who skip school.
"When we are talking about long-term crime prevention and reduction we need to talk about juvenile prosecution and truancy enforcement. Keeping kids in school and out of gangs will pay dividends in the future," he stated.