Presiding juvenile judge Terry Bannon and Dr. Alana Bruencini, director of the Cochise County CARE Team, described coordinated local efforts Tuesday to address rising youth violence, online sexual imagery among minors and gaps in services for juveniles who interact with 911 or law enforcement.

Judge Bannon said a statewide summit of presiding juvenile judges prompted local teams to design community-specific programs to reduce youth violence. Bannon said her team includes juvenile probation staff, school principals and school resource officers and that the county's approach emphasizes rehabilitation alongside accountability. "We really do focus on rehabilitation and with a component of responsibility and recognition of the juvenile for the crime or offense that they committed," she said.

Bannon said juvenile offenses mirror adult offenses under Arizona law (Title 13), but juvenile case resolution differs because the focus is on disposition and rehabilitation. She said juveniles are sometimes both victims and perpetrators in cases involving explicit images and that such conduct can be prosecuted as class 2 felonies in Arizona; if statutory tests are met, juveniles may be required to register as sex offenders until age 25.

To address digital harms, Bannon said the court will start requiring parents to attend a class that teaches them how cell phones and social media function so they can better supervise children. "We have a digital divide between parents and their children," she said, and the parent class is intended to help families understand emojis, messaging patterns and privacy risks.

Bannon also described Project Restore, a restitution-option program funded by a grant from the Administrative Office of the Courts that allows juveniles to work with 501(c)(3) organizations to earn off restitution. She said the county's diversion program handles the majority of juvenile cases and has produced low recidivism rates.

Dr. Alana Bruencini described the CARE Team, which stands for Community Assistance, Response, and Engagement, and said the unit was created with a Legacy Foundation grant to integrate behavioral-health responses into the sheriff's office. "We can either be dispatched just like any 911 unit," she said, adding the team collaborates with CCOM and deputies to follow up on noncriminal crises and connect families with services.

Bruencini said CARE Team staff are now receiving routine referrals for juvenile cases, which she called a key expansion: it makes it feasible to identify children who appear in 911 call records and to follow up with services or supports rather than ending interventions at the moment of crisis. "We are incredibly excited about this opportunity to expand our program services," she said.

Both officials said the initiatives are designed to keep juveniles from escalating into more serious offenses, reduce recidivism and give families tools to stabilize homes. Bannon and Bruencini credited juvenile probation officers, school resource officers and local nonprofits for their work and said the programs emphasize connecting families with community resources.

Ending: Officials encouraged community cooperation and said the county will monitor program outcomes as data collection improves under the new referral process.