43
Struthers needs juvenile program, store owner says
By jeanne starmack
struthers
A store owner in the city says she’s tired of kids shoplifting from her and not being held sufficiently accountable.
Elaine Ginnetti, who owns a convenience store on Midlothian Boulevard, told the city council Wednesday that “these kids are running rampant.”
She said she believes the city should have its own program to deal with juvenile offenders.
City law director Dominic Leone said the juvenile court has exclusive jurisdiction over kids.
“And she [juvenile court Judge Theresa Dellick] is successful in rehabbing juvenile offenders,” Leone said.
“So there’s nothing we can do to work with these kids in our city?” Ginnetti said. “These kids get lost at JJC,” she added.
She said she thought the city had a juvenile-diversion program, which it did until 2009.
Now that program is run solely through the school district.
The city was splitting the cost of the program with the schools, but opted out because of budget constraints, saving $18,000.
City Auditor Tina Morell said that even though the diversion program is run by the schools, the same kids that are getting into trouble outside school are likely getting into trouble at school as well.
They are still likely to enter the diversion program.
She also said a diversion program does not work with kids who have already committed crimes.
Councilwoman Carol Crytzer also said a rehabilitation program for juveniles who have committed crimes would be more appropriate than a diversion program, which aims to keep kids from ending up in the justice system.
She said she has called Judge Dellick to ask what the city’s options are for dealing with juveniles whose crimes aren’t serious enough to warrant jail time.
Safety Services Director Ed Wildes pointed out the city does have a full-time officer who deals with juveniles.
Ginnetti told The Vindicator after the meeting that she reported two different groups of boys to police, once in November and once three weeks ago.
“We have cameras, and we catch ’em, and we don’t know what happens,” she said.
She described the antics on her security camera of the three boys she caught three weeks ago.
“There go the Slim Jims in the pockets, and they’re high-fiving,” she said.
Crytzer said she is waiting to hear from Judge Dellick.