News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
A 15-year-old Sisters youth, convicted of a series of crimes ranging from burglary and criminal mischief to harassment, assault and theft, will spend one day in juvenile detention.
The youth was convicted of a February burglary of Leavitt's Western Wear, criminal mischief for throwing rocks through store windows and harassment for "unwanted touching" of a teen-age girl.
Juvenile Court Referee Stephen Forte handed down a sentence that included eight days of detention with seven days suspended providing the youth successfully completes probation.
The youth must also complete 80 hours of community service and pay about $600 in restitution.
"Overall, I would say that this was a light sentence, as they go," said Steve Gunnels of the Deschutes County District Attorney's Office.
"The sentences depend on the judge or the referee," Gunnels said. "Some judges take the position that these juveniles need to be made accountable by serving time in detention and that's what's going to turn them around.
"Others think that if you give them enough counseling, you don't need to give them detention."
The Sisters youth is required to receive extensive counseling in anger control, social skills and "sexual appropriateness."
"This amount of counseling is more than average," Gunnels noted, "but he crossed more lines than average."
Gunnels noted that sentencing guidelines prescribe a maximum of eight days of detention.
A judge or referee has the discretion to depart from those guidelines to impose a stiffer sentence.
But even though the youth racked up a long list of offenses, it was his first time in court.
According to Gunnels, a long sentence at the MacLaren youth facility or a boot camp "would have been way out of the ball park."
But if the youth continues to run afoul of the law, the courts could come down considerably harder.
If he violates his the terms of his probation, he will have to at least complete the rest of the eight days of detention, and he could face more punishment.
Further violations could land him in juvenile detention for 30 days or 120 days in a boot camp.
If violations continue or he commits other serious crimes, he could ultimately end up in the tough Ochoco Youth Correctional Facility.
According to Gunnels, the system is designed with many steps between offenses and dire punishment.
"Statutes mandate that reformation of the juvenile be the priority or the goal of the sentencing of the juvenile," he said.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
Reader Comments(0)