As a tween remains in critical condition after Minneapolis shooting, questions renew on youth felonies
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There’s a young girl from Minneapolis who remains in critical condition Tuesday after being shot over the weekend along with three other children. The minors in question are between the ages of 11 and 13 and were shot while joyriding in a stolen car.
The case renews the question about what to do when kids that young are committing serious crimes. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office wants police to refer cases to their office, and says that when there isn’t enough evidence to charge, the child could instead be referred to their Youth Auto Theft Early Intervention Initiative. But Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara says he wants to see those kids arrested and charged.
The specifics of this case are unclear, due to privacy laws for children in the juvenile system. But it has renewed an argument between agencies about the best approach to stopping kids from committing serious crimes.
To explain, two people from the organization Restorative Justice Community Action, which provides services to youth who have committed crimes in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, joined Minnesota Now. Cynthia Prosek is their executive director and Kara Beckman is University of Minnesota Researcher who works with the organization.
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