SIDNEY — In 2017 the Shelby County Juvenile Court was a very busy court, handling over 1,069 cases.
“The court saw a 50 percent increase in felony-related delinquency cases and continued to see the impact of the ongoing opiate crisis,” said Judge Jeffrey J. Beigel.
His report continues:
Juvenile Court handles a variety of child related cases, including delinquencies, traffic violations, unruly children, paternity cases, truancy charges and Children Services matters (abuse and neglect cases). It also handles custody cases involving children of unwed parents, grandparent visitation and child support enforcement matters. Steven Geise now serves as a Juvenile Magistrate to assist the Court in these matters.
The Juvenile Court Probation Department continues to be active with youth through partnerships with the Family Resource Center (counseling), the Shelby County Animal Shelter (community service), the Alpha Center (victory garden) and the Salvation Army (Bridging the Gap).
With funding from the Shelby County United Way, the Juvenile Court will start its seventh year with the IMPACT (Imagine Making Positive Accountable Changes Together) program. This prevention program excels in assisting at risk youth and reduces their future involvement in the juvenile justice system.
In 2017, the court:
Established a partnership with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for the collection of fines and costs.
• Established a Juvenile Traffic Diversion Program for first time minor traffic offenders and continued the use of the CARTEENS program to give greater driver safety awareness to new drivers.
• Utilized a Special Projects grant from the United Way to allow the Court to assist youths in obtaining birth records, state identifications and graduation fees.
• Began implementation of updated Court practices to ensure continued protection of Victims Rights based upon the recent passage of the Constitutional Amendment known as Marsy’s Law.
