Juvenile car thefts remain higher than pre-pandemic levels: How cases are handled

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Numerous residents and officials in Franklin County are calling for harsher juvenile car theft penalties, clashing with an initiative that aims to minimize the incarceration of minors. 

Juvenile car thefts in Franklin County remain higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, when the county initially saw a spike. There was an 83% increase from 2019 to 2022 in the average monthly stolen vehicle case filings in Franklin County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court. 

The number of monthly filings reached its peak since pre-pandemic levels in 2023, at an average of 94. The average monthly filing was 77 in 2022, 55 in 2021 and 42 in 2019, according to data published by the court.

Between January 2021 and July 2023, 1,116 juveniles were charged in stolen car cases in Franklin County. During that time, 34%, or 400 minors, were charged with multiple stolen car cases.

According to Columbus Division of Police Lt. Brian Steel, the most common crimes police see among juveniles is being in possession of an illegal weapon and stealing cars, and right now, he said the number of those offenses are “probably higher than [he’s] ever seen.” He called for reforming the juvenile justice system.

“It was set up decades ago to handle kids stealing candy bars out of schools, not repetitive juvenile offenders such as car thieves,” Steel said. “The best thing we could do to curb this problem is to hold the juvenile accountable. … You have juveniles who are multiple car thieves and still have not faced justice.”

Steel is not the only one calling for harsher juvenile penalties in central Ohio – numerous residents have voiced similar sentiments on social media, with calls for reform intensifying after the death of a mother during a carjacking involving two 16-year-olds. 

However, Franklin County’s current juvenile justice guidelines favor diversion over incarceration, which is treated as a last resort. Franklin County is one of 17 counties in Ohio that implements the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. 

JDAI sites favor community-based alternatives rather than locked facilities, such as day and evening report centers, home confinement and shelter care. Research sponsored by the foundation found that a stay in a pretrial juvenile detention center increased a young person’s likelihood of felony recidivism by 33% and misdemeanor recidivism by 11%. 

Participating JDAI sites have reduced their daily detention populations by 43% since joining the initiative while “maintaining or improving public safety,” according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. 

The strategy, which uses a “data-driven” approach to juvenile justice, is the most widely replicated juvenile justice reform initiative in the United States, according to the Ohio Department of Youth Services. 

“Spending even one night in a secure detention facility can interrupt school, employment, family and community connections, which seriously damage a youth’s prospects for future success,” the Ohio Department of Youth Service’s website states.

Juveniles caught stealing a car are typically not arrested or taken to a detention center unless they are a repeat offender. Steel said juvenile offenders, unlike adults, abide by a points system. When he apprehends a juvenile, he calls the Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court to give context on the situation. 

“They'll say, ‘Does he have warrants? Does he or she have a gun? Did he or she flee from you?’ Basically, what are the crimes?” Steel said. “If they score enough points, they'll remand them into their custody. If you call and say, 'Here's a juvenile first-time offense, stole a car, no weapons, didn't flee,' more likely than not, they're going to say, ‘We're not going to take them’ and you're just going to release him to a family member.”

After they are released, the juvenile will be summoned to appear in court. If they are found guilty of stealing a vehicle, a first-time offender is typically given probation, an attorney in the juvenile court system told NBC4 on background. With repeat offenders, factors including age and family situation come into play.

On car thefts, the attorney said a few repeat offenders may end up in a correctional facility, but not many. Probation, residential treatment and other programs are often the more common route with property crimes.

The jurisdiction a juvenile lives in can greatly affect their outcome. Some suburbs, such as Upper Arlington, have robust diversion programs. Through these programs, city attorneys allow juveniles to go through a program in order to dismiss their charges. Juveniles caught stealing a vehicle in Columbus are almost always charged, the attorney explained, because diversion efforts in the city are not nearly as expensive as in some suburbs.