Rusk County officials report rising teen-court referrals, CJCC workgroups and recovery court changes

Rusk County restorative-justice and court-treatment programs are seeing heavier use and new administrative steps, county staff and the district attorney said at the Justice, Youth and Extension Committee meeting.

Restorative programs and teen court. Rich, who represents the county restorative youth programs, told the committee he is seeing a rise in teen-court and teen-traffic enrollments compared with past years and that law enforcement is referring more youth to diversion instead of fines and points. "Generally speaking, it's some type of community service ... they're actually doing way more work than if they just paid the fine," Rich said of teen court. He also flagged vaping as a fast-growing charge: "Yep, absolutely ... vaping is a big concern," he said, and noted some vapes have tested positive for THC rather than tobacco.

Why it matters: County restorative programs — including teen court, teen traffic court and the Prime for Life underage alcohol program — are diversion alternatives intended to keep young people from formal juvenile records while requiring sanctions and education. An increase in referrals affects…