Youth diversion program shows early gains in attendance; council raises gun‑safety and take‑back questions

Staff from Sawyer County youth justice told the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council on Oct. 8 that the county’s new youth diversion work is beginning to show improvements in school attendance and family engagement, and that juvenile referrals are continuing to rise.

From Jan. 1–June, staff reported 11 diversion referrals; from July through the Oct. 8 meeting there were eight additional referrals, and seven intakes were pending that had been referred by Lac Courte Oreilles tribal court. Youth justice staff said attendance improvements have been notable: 15 youth in the program had 100% school attendance for the current school year, three had 90%, one had 80%, three had 70%, four had 60%, four had 50% and two had below 50%.

To encourage continued attendance and engagement, staff described incentive efforts including small, regular rewards (gas and fast‑food gift cards and local coffee) and two larger drawings during the school year for participants meeting progress benchmarks (prizes cited by staff included $100 Foot Locker and $100 Amazon gift cards). Staff also described a “student of the month” recognition intended to reach youth who may never have received awards in school.

Programmatic changes included replacing a previously contracted provider (Serona Recovery) with Journey Day Treatment to deliver locally based parenting support groups. The parenting curriculum is a 12‑week program: the first three weeks are parent/guardian‑only sessions followed by family sessions with children; the program includes anger‑management and plans for a soft handoff to local therapists after completion.

Council members and staff raised concerns about an increase in gun‑related activity and illegal firearms entering the community. Youth justice said a meeting with local law enforcement, the district attorney and county staff is scheduled for the following week to discuss prevention and how to reduce illegal guns in homes. Participants suggested exploring a gun take‑back program similar to medication take‑back events, and discussed safety concerns for social‑service workers who visit homes where weapons may be present.

Also noted: the county has scheduled a Tall Cop presenter for Nov. 12 to assess local CBD/vape retailers and related products and present prevention strategies; staff said Tall Cop’s findings will help inform prevention priorities. No formal decisions or votes on gun‑safety programs were taken at the Oct. 8 meeting.