Superior Court I Judge David Cates kicked off the Calvary Community Series Wednesday discussing juvenile courts and what can be done to help keep kids out of the system. The discussion took place at Calvary United Methodist Church, 801 S. Huntington St., Syracuse, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Cates was an attorney before he became a judge and he spent a lot of time working in juvenile law. “Times have changed and laws have changed substantially,” Cates said. He said when most people think of juvenile court, they assume it is teen court. Cates said juvenile court is for rehabilitation, not for punishment. “When dealing with kids, you want to rehabilitate them,” he said. “You don’t want them committing crimes as adults.” He described the six general areas of juvenile court, which consist of: status offenses, such as runaways and truancy; delinquents, where kids who are younger than 18 commit an offense that would be considered a crime if committed by an adult; children in need of services (CHINS), which involves neglect or abuse; paternities; custody and child support situations; termination of parental rights; and miscellaneous. This year Cates said there have been 151 new matters in these categories combined. “I consider this a serious issue in Kosciusko County,” he said. He originally thought most cases in juvenile court were a result of coming from a low socioeconomic class, but he discovered, “Dollars, or lack of dollars, doesn’t mean you’re in the system or not,” he said. He discussed six major factors he’s noticed while working in juvenile courts. The number one reason for all of the juveniles appearing in courts is substance abuse. Cates said this leads to fights or arguments, and if the parents are substance abusers, they could neglect their children. Another major factor is lack of parental involvement and the kids’ lack of involvement in extracurriculars. Cates said parents focus on themselves and their own issues. Another issue with parental involvement is a lack of supervision, or too much supervision with “helicopter parenting.” Many kids are not involved with after-school activities, church activities and aren’t involved in anything and they think this is fine – but worse, Cates said, their parents think this is acceptable. Other factors contributing to the number of juveniles in the system is society changes, social media and their values, according to Cates. Cates said within the next four months, there will be more programs implemented in the county for the correction of juveniles. One of these is a work program. “If they have to serve a week in detention, that’s a badge of honor, and if they have to go see a counselor, they’re going to shut down,” Cates said. “But if they’re embarrassed by being on the roadside picking up cans and their friends can see them, that is a significant punishment.” Another program that will be available within the next couple months is a home monitoring GPS tracking system. Immediate action will be taken if the juvenile is anywhere they are not supposed to be. He said he has done a test drive with this system and “it’s amazing.” Parents are not the only ones who can help juveniles. He said everyone has a moral duty to report anything suspicious. He said reporting is anonymous and there is a hotline to call. Another way to help is to become a volunteer as a court appointed special advocate. Wawasee Superintendent Dr. Tom Edington said the school system works hand-in-hand with the courts. Cates said there isn’t a perfect system established for juveniles, especially if the kids are going back into an environment that is negative for them. He said he relies on the staff, counselors, school reports and CASA reports. “We do the best we can,” Cates said. “It’s not going to be a perfect system.” Sandy Greer, an attendee at the discussion, she said she feels it was very informative because there is a need for more awareness on juveniles. “I am glad to see Judge Cates out in the community, and I think that is showing leadership on his part,” Greer said. “He’s bringing the community together and letting people know he’s involved.” Cates said volunteering and just being involved with kids would be beneficial. “Kids need to make mistakes, not everybody gets a trophy,” Cates said. “But if you give them guidance and love, I think that’s where good things happen.” The next speaker in this three-part series is Edington on May 27 at the church.
