When it comes to helping the youth of Sweetwater County, it is important to understand the risks they face, the factors that could lead to future problems, and the available — and unavailable — resources that can help.
The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners heard a Juvenile Needs Assessment presentation addressing these topics during Tuesday’s meeting. The commissioners approved the assessment in June and awarded a contract to Corona Insights to conduct the study. The assessment, which was grant-funded, is a requirement for the Community Juvenile Services Board to develop a strategic plan related to juvenile services.
“Honestly, it’s very important for you to know what’s going on in our community,” Krisena Marchal, the County Grants Manager, added while introducing the presentation to the commissioners.
The overarching priorities of the project are to examine the local systems related to the early identification and diversion of children at risk of entry into the juvenile court system and the prevention of juvenile delinquency, Marchal explained.
Representatives from Corona Insights, including Beth Mulligan, Annie Theodoropoulos and Gracia Seeley presented the assessment’s key findings to the commissioners.
The assessment looked at the makeup of youth in Sweetwater County and pertinent considerations and data, including factors that influence or protect against delinquency, mental health statistics, substance abuse statistics, crime and arrest statistics, the justice system process for juveniles, and available treatment and prevention services and resources. The study also compared findings between Sweetwater County School District No. 1 and District No. 2.
Sweetwater County has about 4,800 youth aged 10-17. Roughly one third of the county’s youth are in Sweetwater County School District No. 2.
One of the areas the assessment focused on that especially stood out to the commissioners was mental health.
“Wyoming, as a state, has one of the highest rates of death from suicide among adolescents 15 to 19 at 23.7 per 100,000,” Seeley explained. “In the most recent data that is available, more than one in five Sweetwater County middle and high school students reported considering suicide, and one in eight have attempted.”
Commission Chairman Keaton West called these statistics “very troubling.”
The assessment did acknowledge the progress SCSD No. 2 has made in addressing mental health concerns, including the recent TISS grant, but noted that counselors within the district are still asking for more help.
Theodoropoulos explained that the study found that school staff, probation agents, and School Resource Officers are all feeling overwhelmed and under-funded in addressing student needs. Since youth concerns and offenses are most often noted first at the school level, it is important to catch and address concerns early, the assessment found. This is especially important since most youth cases are increasingly complex, with multiple factors involved.
The assessment also found that many local resources and programs have either ended, don’t have the best reputation in the community, or can be costly. There is also a need for more services for families as a whole.
The commissioners noted the importance of the findings from the assessment, and Chairman West recommended the information be shared with the school districts as well, since it closely concerns them.
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