PIERRE | Frustrated teachers in South Dakota say something needs to be done about the growing number of repeat juvenile offenders who are disrupting classrooms.
The state Senate this week is expected to consider a bill that begins the work toward reforming South Dakota's juvenile justice system.
A Senate committee last week heard heated testimony from educators, public defenders, school board officials and others before passing legislation that would create a 15-member task force to study the current system and make recommendations on reform.
“Students learn quickly that there is very little teeth to the juvenile justice system,” Harrisburg High School Principal Ryan Rollinger said. “I’ve been told directly to my face, ‘I don’t care, they’re just going to give me three more months of probation.’”
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The task force would have five House members appointed by the speaker, five senators appointed by the president pro tempore and five people “with knowledge and experience in juvenile justice” appointed by the governor, the Argus Leader reported.
“I don’t think this is going to fix the problem,” said Sen. Michael Rohl, R-Aberdeen, in discussion about the motion to pass. “But it’s certainly going to force all the parties to the table to be able to create something that might be a solution.”
Under the supervision of the Executive Board of the Legislative Research Council, the group will go back to the drawing board to develop alternatives for placement of juvenile offenders, report its findings and recommend legislation by Jan. 1, 2023.
Since South Dakota’s overhaul of the juvenile system in 2015, school district officials say they have seen deteriorating juvenile behavior, including serious felonies ranging from robbery, weapons possession, assault, battery and attempted murder.
