RICHMOND, Va. -- Officials with the City of Richmond said on Wednesday they've developed plans to maximize funds and expand services to help children who have committed crimes and are in need of support.
This comes after a CBS 6 investigation revealed the city was providing fewer programs for court-involved youth compared to surrounding localities and not utilizing state funding meant to implement those services.
A Virginia law designed to deter crime committed by juveniles and prevent youth from re-offending allows the state to give funding to localities so that they can offer services to address delinquent behavior and promote accountability in their communities.
Examples of such programs include anger management courses, mental health services, substance abuse evaluations, and parenting coaching.
Last year, Henrico offered 14 programs, Chesterfield offered 11 programs, and Richmond had three operational programs under this model, despite an increase in juvenile intakes since the pandemic, according to state data.
“It is so woefully deficient," juvenile justice advocate Valerie Slater, of RISE for Youth, said about the availability of services in the city.
As executive director of the non-profit, Slater said RISE has successfully transformed the lives of youth through providing mentorship, life skills, and employment opportunities.
"When [children] find themselves in trouble, if we are not providing them with positive paths if we are not providing them with the instruction and opportunities to do differently, then we can't anticipate that they will do anything other than what they've already done," Slater said.
Since 2021, data provided by the Department of Juvenile Justice showed that Richmond sent back more than $1 million in unused funds to the state out of the $1.3 million it received.
Rhonda Gilmer, the deputy director of Richmond Justice Services which is responsible for administering the programs, said Wednesday that her team has met with court officials and plans to utilize all available dollars.
“We have prepared a comprehensive plan in collaboration with our court services unit. The fiscal year has begun, and we are prepared to expend those funds, and so we're excited about it," Gilmer said.
Gilmer said the plan includes an expansion of services offered by the department, including those focused on prevention.
A recently passed law allows localities to use state funds to implement prevention-based services for children identified as being at risk of becoming court-involved, but in its previous plans, Richmond had not yet elected to implement prevention-based services.
"We're doing a lot of taking youth out on exploring new and historical events. We're also committed to attendance, making sure that kids go to school. At the same time, understanding citizenship, because that's what's important to keep our kids out of the system," Gilmer said. “We’re also looking at prevention for those that have generational incarceration, where fathers and mothers have been incarcerated, grandparents have been incarcerated, and the kids are in a loop. We're trying to break that cycle."
Slater told CBS 6 that the city has also contacted her team requesting presenters for new courses it plans to offer as part of its expanded youth programming.
Gilmer said a $3.5 million grant from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services will help fund those efforts. It's the same grant the city received last fiscal year from January to June but did not touch.
The reason the funds weren't used, according to Gilmer, is because by the time the grant was accepted by the city council, there wasn't enough time to spend the money.
The cities of Portsmouth and Norfolk received this same grant as well. Portsmouth also spent none of it, and Norfolk only used a little over $3,000, according to the Department of Criminal Justice Services.
"That was more of a situation with the government and how they administered those funds, and so I think moving forward, the state has acknowledged that their practice has changed in terms of how they're going to distribute those funds," Gilmer said.
Mayor Levar Stoney outlined several other efforts the grant will support, including supporting those not involved in the justice system.
He said the money will also go toward creating a center to support people affected by domestic crimes, expand learning and mentorship opportunities, and expand community outreach.
"We are not giving up on any child in this community, any child, whether they're engaged with the legal world, the justice world, or those who unfortunately, are just living in tough circumstances," Stoney said.
According to data provided by Stoney, the number of children who were shot or involved in violence dramatically decreased in 2023 compared to 2017 when he first took office.
He credited the city's investments into out-of-school activities for the drop in violence.
"I will say there are more children with opportunities today than there were a decade ago, and that's Richmond being on the right trajectory," Stoney said.
Data from the Department of Juvenile Justice showed Richmond saw an increase in juvenile intakes, offenses, detainments, and probation placements over a three-year timeframe from 2021 to 2023, which is consistent with patterns seen across the state after the pandemic.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have information to share.
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