CINCINNATI — While the Hamilton County prosecutor and Cincinnati police have criticized juvenile judges for not being tough enough on teen offenders, Juvenile Court Judge Kari Bloom said the primary goal of juvenile court is education and reform — not punishment.
Bloom said the court considers multiple factors when determining whether a child will be detained or released.
“There is guidance in the law, from the federal government, and from the behavioral health community on who should be held, when, why and how long,” Bloom said.
Like adult courts, there are mandatory sentences that happen in juvenile court as well.
“So, there are times that we have to send a kid to the Department of Youth Services, which is prison for kids,” she said.
Those situations include when a gun is shown or shot during an offense, Bloom said.
Last month, Cincinnati police arrested two teenagers for an assault on 6th and Walnut. The 14-year-old allegedly involved in the assault was released from juvenile detention with an ankle monitor.
After the release, Prosecutor Melissa Powers called out juvenile judges for "lenient policies (that) are enabling for this problem to continue."
“It seems pretty natural to look for someone to blame. It's sort of human nature,“ Bloom said. “The court has to maintain impartiality. And so, if people want to blame the court, I can't stop them.”
Bloom said the law is what’s guiding her decisions.
“We aren't allowed to be influenced by the community, or society or any outside factors, we are allowed to follow the law and so I would say, not everyone agrees with the law. There are plenty that I don't agree with, but I still have to follow them,” she said.
She said all detain and release decisions are made on a child-by-child basis.
“If we were to say, every child charged with X gets held … then we are violating the law. We cannot have black-and-white policies,” Bloom said. “The system is set up the way it is from people far before us. We’re following the law and process that’s been given to us.”
Earlier this week, Police Chief Teresa Theetge said when it comes to youth violence, everyone needs to come to the table. She is hoping for better conversations with judges moving forward in hopes of finding a solution.
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