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Criminal Justice in Wyoming

Justice is such a strong and empowering word that many seek for hope, strength, and power. The criminal justice system in Wyoming is a capable structure that helps deter crime and other internal problems within a city or society. It helps prevent juveniles from becoming reoccurring criminals while also helping current criminals from continuing their illegal ways. Keeping kids out of trouble is something Wyoming’s criminal justice system is trying to improve on. Prevention is one of Wyoming’s biggest goals especially in cases of juvenile delinquency, child abuse, domestic violence, and drugs. One of Wyoming’s leading problems in the field of drugs is Methamphetamines. It has become an epidemic in the Equality State. For Wyoming’s criminal justice system meth is one of their main concerns whether if it is preventing or stopping meth from reaching the public.

Methamphetamines

Wyoming is ranked at #1 in the United States of America for meth use going up from #13 in the year 2005 , this means it is getting worse and only will continue to do so unless the law cracks down on it. Instead of people going to jail for using it they are put in rehab then let right back out to do the same thing. Whereas if you get in trouble for drinking you have years of consequences for consuming alcohol which is a less of a problem than shooting something into your veins. One in every six Wyoming teens say that they have a friend or know someone who does meth. This means that kids are doing it as well and getting away with it because it’s just a slap on the wrist if they get caught. Put these people in jail or prison. Meth kills 1500 people annually and more than half of that is coming from the state of Wyoming. The state of Wyoming puts up billboards and posters, as well as, commercials but the state of Wyoming can do even more. For instance, when I was 15 years old I worked at a McDonalds in Casper Wyoming for 6 months. There was a co-worker who was addicted to meth. They started out fine and being able to control it, but by the end of my 6 months there it got worse. Uncontrollable anger caused this individual to put another worker in the hospital because they didn’t do what she had asked them to do. During lunch breaks was when they would engage in taking more hits. Everyone knew what was going on, but no one said a word to the authorities which did not help the situation. Three months after I left, this person had their kids taken away and was put in rehab for six months. Studies show that 32 percent of foster care placements resulted from drug abuse, 42 percent of persons arrested for drug offenses in 1 year were repeat offenders, fewer than 1 in 10 Wyoming residents who needed drug treatment received it.

“Wyoming eighth graders had higher methamphetamine user rates than high school seniors Nationwide. Fifty-one percent of the Wyoming Boys School population and 59 percent of the Girls School population (both reformatory schools) reported past meth use.”

A week after the Wyoming Meth Conference on May 4th 2011, the state's Meth Project premieres three new public service announcements. As in the past, the spots are intense. One involves two teenage girls soliciting themselves for money. The other shows several teens watching television as one boy seizes on the floor next to them. The kids were so drugged on meth they didn’t realize that there friend was dying right next to them.

It’s getting easier and easier for young kids to get this drug on the streets and just as easy for the dealers to sell it to them. This drug is going to wipe us out if we don’t do anything to prevent it from getting into people’s hands. In the state of Wyoming, there should be stricter punishments for more serious crimes such as using meth. Young kids and adults are dying every year because of this street drug (meth). We can’t prevent the whole world or even our country for that matter from getting their hands on it but we can save the #1 state with the most meth use in it from dying off. Having such a small population in the state of Wyoming would make the belief that meth is a huge problem is almost non-existent. Clear the streets of Wyoming and sweep this horrible drug out before our population starts to dwindle.

The problem

Methamphetamines (meth) have been a problem in Wyoming since the mid 1900’s. In the state of Wyoming meth is a huge problem because of the people working in the oil industry. They use this drug to stay up late in order to last during their evening jobs. This isn’t the only place, in the bigger cities such as Cheyenne and Casper it is a major problem. Casper has the largest population in the state of Wyoming, because of this Casper became the hot-spot for Wyoming involving meth. In just one year Casper’s arrest rose 321 percent with a large amount being for methamphetamine use and abuse. Before meth cocaine was the drug of choice in Wyoming. When Meth came along, it was cheaper and gave the customers an even higher high therefore making the drug very popular.

Prevention

Like all things, there are ways to prevent the use of Methamphetamines in the state of Wyoming. Things the community can do to prevent this drug abuse is start a coalition. Start by the mobilization of small communities. Having people who are trying to fight this drug abuse problem travel and speak at schools and different businesses and eventually the group will grow and have a significant contribution or impact in larger communities. Make attempts at having after school drug programs or even try to fit a drug abuse class in schools and stop this problem at an early age. There are certain things peers, family, and friends can do as well in order to keep loved ones from engaging in such activities such as using meth. One-third of teens and one in five young adults say their friends would not give them “a hard time” for using Meth. Evidently this is a problem that needs to be addressed. Problems do not just disappear it takes time and help. Parents should pull their kids aside at a young age and let them know the wrongs and effects of using drugs in general. About half of teens and young adults say they have never discussed the subject of Meth with their parents. With that being said it is not a coincidence that one in every six Wyoming teens says that they have a friend or know someone who does meth. If there is someone a person knows who is using this drug, report it tell someone.Re it is your friend’s parents or an authority figure. Clean this state up from using meth.

Trafficing Meth

Due to the sparse population and transient nature of the state drug trafficking is a problem in Wyoming. Due to the lack of access the state has to mainstream drugs people resort to alternative methods to attain drugs. According to the Wyoming Meth Project, Wyoming is #1 in the country for methamphetamine use. This along with other drugs is being brought over from surrounding states. Former United States attorney Stewart Young stated that, “Wyoming used to have a lot of domestic meth labs that got busted about five or six years ago.” This information could explain the increased drug traffic across the borders. Meth is not the only drug problem the state has but definitely the biggest. Due to the recent legalization in other states, marijuana is another problem. According to Stewart Young marijuana is sold out of dispensaries in Colorado and brought in to the state of Wyoming. Legal or not this is still a federal offense once it crosses the state line whether they have a license or not. An example of this is the case of six individuals who were arrested for drug trafficking in July of 2011, as reported by the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. They were transporting meth from Colorado. As evidence of the severity of the problem, the main perpetrator was sentenced to twenty years in prison and ten years of supervised probation. The solution to the drug problem in Wyoming is difficult. According to Young, legalizing of soft drugs, such as marijuana, is a possible alternative and one of the biggest ones in the drug trafficking problem. By making a soft drug more widely available in a low-density population, it may reduce traffic from other states and home meth labs. However, this may only enable the use of more intense drugs such as meth, cocaine, etc. by acting as a gateway. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle stated that “fighting drug trade in Wyoming is all about cooperation.” This is the most viable option. All law enforcement agencies must work together in order to stop this problem. The people of Wyoming can find ways to help as well. By helping each other to crack down on drugs in localized areas of the state, it will make it more difficult for them to spread. The state of Wyoming has a small population with a big drug problem, but working together, that small population can make a huge difference.

Methamphetamine is the number 8 drug used in America. The abundance of meth throughout the country, affords a great deal of accessibility to the drug in Wyoming. As a result, meth remains the biggest drug problem in the state of Wyoming. Having a minute population, Wyoming is the state that has the most people addicted to this drug. This has been a problem for years. The meth labs that were shut down years ago started a huge drug trafficking (meth) trend, similar to that of the marijuana trafficking trend. One person began to bring in drugs and then others saw this going on and thought ‘well if they can get away with it so can I,’ causing a huge problem. The chances are that meth usage will continue to increase in the state of Wyoming, as long as drugs continue to cross the border.

After the crackdown on meth labs in 2005 the usage and supply of trafficked drugs grew. More and more people began to get caught trafficking drugs throughout Wyoming and from surrounding states. On November 7, 2008, the last of eleven people was sentenced in a long term drug conspiracy investigation, which started in 2005, into methamphetamine possession and trafficking. The arrests included people from Big Piney, Marbleton, Rock Springs, and Pinedale. The investigations spanned from Wyoming, to Colorado, Ogden, Utah, Phoenix, Arizona and Southern California. The men or women who were running these meth labs started to lose money after being shut down. This meant they had to go else were to keep bringing in the money they lost. Going from state to state border to border, in order to get supplies then bringing them back to the state of Wyoming and selling it for more than twice as much as they paid.

Since the start of this trend in 1993, the numbers in Wyoming have increased in a large amount. According to The Wyoming Meth Project, ranks Wyoming #1 in the U.S. for Meth use by those 12 and older, up from #13 in 2005. Following the breakdown of the meth labs, the drug trafficking trend has allowed drug usage in Wyoming to remain prevalent.. This trend has caused Wyoming to become the Number one place for meth use in the country. Destroying homes, breaking up families, and sending kids to foster homes. This is all because people are bringing drugs into the state and selling them to the communities in the state of Wyoming. This trend has ruined the culture and nature of the state of Wyoming. Like all things this will come to an end, but if it is not stopped now things will only get worse.

Juvenile Delinquency

Juvenile delinquency in its most simple definition is a violation of a federal law by a minor. For the most part the juvenile age is 18, but there are some exceptions. For example in Illinois, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Georgia, Texas, Missouri, South Carolina, and Michigan the juvenile age is 17. And in states like North Carolina and New York, the juvenile age is 16. In 1999, According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s National Report Series, juveniles accounted for 17% of all arrests in the United States and that number is only continuing to grow.

There are far fewer female delinquents then males. In fact, in 2000 females accounted for only 28% of the total juvenile crime although their rate is continuing to climb as the years go on. Female delinquents were more likely to be involved in theft arrests, prostitution, runaway arrests, and embezzlement arrests. Male juveniles on the other hand were more susceptible to criminal acts including robbery arrests, rape arrests, sex offense arrests, and gambling arrests.

Juveniles who are convicted of crime can be incarcerated with adults if they go through the adult court system. In Wyoming, 85% of all juvenile cases go through the adult (criminal) court system. This is a high percentage because Wyoming has great juvenile delinquency rate. According to the juvenile crime index arrest report, in 2010 Wyoming had a total of 985 juveniles arrested. Of these juveniles, 671 were males and 314 were females.

In the juvenile system there are a couple different types of youth. The juveniles in the system include: delinquents, status offenders, abused/neglected, and dependent. Delinquents are the juveniles who are arrested and convicted of criminal offenses of a serious or chronic nature. Status offenders are the juveniles who are annually caught doing something wrong only because it is considered outlawed for a young person to do. The abused and neglected are the juveniles who are annually involved in reports of child abuse and neglected to a state protective agency. And finally the dependent juveniles are ones who are annually put up for adoption or made ward of the state on account of parental abandonment.

Juvenile delinquents do have protective rights that are associated with the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. This act is a federal law that provides participating states with alternatives to detention centers as well as standards on how to treat juveniles. This act also provides a uniform system of recording juvenile crime to help figure out where and when crime is taking place. There are four main protective requirements that states follow as well. These requirements include: 1) deinstitutionalization of status offenders, 2) sight and sound separation of juvenile offenders from adult detainees and inmates, 3) removal of juveniles from adult jails, and 4) disproportionate minority contact reduction.

States who participate in the act are also provided with a uniform system of recording juvenile data. An organized system will help address where crime is being committed and by who, ultimately making it easier to prevent crime. This will greatly help Wyoming out because it seems that every county has different ways of recording juvenile statistics. Gary Hartman, who is an advisor to Governor Dave Freudenthal said “it is imperative there be oversight and uniformity in the system.” He continued saying “I would hate to see we have 23 different standards (“Wyoming Tribune Eagle”).”

And currently Wyoming is the only state to not participate in the federal act although there are 11 counties that follow three of the four main points. Wyoming is currently looking at joining the act as a whole, of at least continuing to make steps in the right direction when dealing with juveniles.

Juvenile Incarceration (Options, Problems)

Incarceration in its most simple form is a period of confinement in a secured facility. The decision of incarceration covers four key focuses. These include: to isolate the criminal from society, to punish the criminal for his/her acts, to deter other people from criminal acts, and finally to rehabilitate the criminal in hopes of preventing recidivism.

Wyoming has the reputation of incarcerating an extremely high number of juveniles every year. In fact, in 2006, Wyoming incarcerated 334 youths for every 100,000 people, which was well above the national average of 125 youths for every 100,000 people. On average, Wyoming incarcerates 2½ times the national average and out of all those locked up, 74% are for non-violent offenses such as marijuana abuse or under-age drinking.

When juveniles are first taken into custody they go through a variety of processes, but the judge ultimately has the final say. The two pathways that can be taken in Wyoming are either the adult court system or the juvenile court system. A great number of juveniles end up going through the adult court system in Wyoming. Depending on what court system the juvenile goes through, they can either be incarcerated in detention centers or in jails.

Detention centers are short-term secured facilities usually built in rural areas with a structure similar to jails. These facilities house a variety of offenders (from non-violent to violent) for a variety of different purposes. Juveniles in detention centers can be in here while they wait for their court date, while they wait to be transferred to a different facility, or they may just be there to be incarcerated for a period of time.

Jails on the other hand are more secured facilities where the inmates are physically confined with limited freedoms while incarcerated. Most jails are divided into two wings or buildings. One wing holds individuals prior to trial while the other wing houses the already convicted inmates.

Wyoming does not follow the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act so juveniles may be incarcerated in jails where adult inmates are present. In this situation, if one juvenile is in a pod (area) then no adult inmate may be in that place. So although Wyoming does put juveniles in the same building as adult convicts, the youth are kept separate from the adults.

There are many problems that come from incarcerating juveniles. The big issues in Wyoming with incarceration are that they effect not only the juveniles, but also the people in the communities (taxpayers). Incarceration effects the juveniles personally as well as emotionally. Locking a juvenile up, especially a non-violent one, and taking them away from their family will not help the situation. It will just make it more difficult on the juvenile especially if they have to be transferred to a facility away from home. Non-violent juveniles that are locked up with violent juveniles is not good and this situation will only encourage misbehavior to take place. A juvenile’s education is also interrupted because they are not able to attend school. This makes it extremely hard for the juvenile to continue his/her education and may make it hard to find a job in the future. And finally the staff can make the situation extremely hard on the juvenile because they are not trained. Since Wyoming does not follow the act, the state is not provided standards on how to treat juveniles from the moment they are arrested to the time when they are released.

Overcrowding is also an issue and has become big in Wyoming as of recently. For example, the Frontier Correctional System Facility was originally only suppose to house 112 inmates, but recently hit maximum capacity at 228 juveniles. Overcrowding in one facility leads to overcrowding in another because juveniles can be transferred. And juveniles who are incarcerated in jails only leads to more incarceration because of the pod (area) situation. If one juvenile is in the rec room watching tv and eating then no adult inmate is allowed until the juvenile is not longer present. This then leads to other pods being overcrowded.

And finally, money is a huge issue because Wyoming continues to put money toward juvenile corrections. In a recent study by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, incarceration is no better then alternatives such as treatment programs. This means Wyoming is spending money on juvenile corrections when it could be spending money on programs to help better the youth. In Cheyenne County, it costs $114 per day to house a juvenile and in Albany County it costs $124 per day.

Following this, the recidivism rates in Wyoming are extremely high for incarcerated juveniles. In a study done by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, juveniles who are incarcerated are more likely to reoffend and reoffend quicker. In fact, 75% of juveniles reoffend within three years of being released.

Juvenile Crime Prevention

Juvenile crime in Wyoming is happening right now and will continue, but there are options in trying to prevent crime. The most effective ways start early in a child’s life with good parenting and education to name a few. An accurate data system, provided by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Act, is very helpful in address all areas of crime including where, when, how, and why. These four can initiate the finding of proper crime prevention tactics. Stopping criminal acts for good committed by the youth is near impossible, but there are many options when looking at preventing crime. The most effective way involves talking and helping the youth early on in their child development. All kids go through different developmental stages so being involved with their life early on will help keep them out of trouble. Some of these options include: families, programs in the community, schools, and rehabilitation programs.

Stopping repeat offenses is also important in prevention. Courts are becoming more susceptible to the high rate of recidivism so they are issuing support services to help once the juvenile is released. Some juveniles who are locked up for a while will need help reintegrating themselves back into society especially if they want to stay out of trouble. Therapy and counseling are the two major options chosen when looking at different support services. The whole family, especially the parents, are very important in a child’s’ life. It is important that the parents especially stay involved in their child’s life for a couple reasons. It gives the child a sense of belonging and lets them know that people are there for them and they are not alone. A lot of juvenile crime starts through the loneliness of the child because they feel they are not loved and that no one is there for them.

Community-based programs can also help prevent crime. Some of these programs include: boy/girl scouts, sports tournaments, volunteer groups, and church activities because they keep the youth busy and occupied. One of these programs is a parent-child interaction program. This program is 12 weeks long and teaches parenting skills by looking at child-parents interaction situations. This program is known to reduce hyperactivity, attention deficit, aggression, and anxious behaviors that can all be factors in a juvenile committing crime. There are some community-based programs in Wyoming that can help with this. One in particular is the Teton Youth & Family Services. They have been helping children and their families stay out of trouble since 1977. This service groups works with three separate places throughout Teton County so there is a little something for every family.

Rehabilitation programs are also important for children who have committed crimes. These programs look at saving the child and reintegrating them back into society. An example of this type of program is the Mountain Homes Youth Ranch placed in Colorado. This program is for troubled teens and helps them find their inner-self through emotional and physical challenges. The teens learn their independence, responsibility, and how to work with others. As for programs in Wyoming, the Wild Horse Program is great for inmates in which they learn to work with horses. This programs aims at helping inmates learn the values of life among other life lessons before they are released. Inmates in Wyoming are also allowed to not only volunteer in prisons, but may also apply for different working jobs. Inmates who do this not only stay out of trouble while incarcerated, but they will also learn how to work and get back into society.

And finally, schools can play an important role as well. It is important that schools educate the students about crime and the punishment that goes along with it as well as how it can mess up an individuals future. Anti-violence programs can be a great help in the school system preventing crime. After school activities are very important because it keeps children busy, but also because crimes committed by children occur mostly between 2-8pm. Schools need to make sure a sense of community is felt throughout so students feel they fit in and are not the outcast. There can also be prevention programs in schools such as the “bullying prevention program.” There are questionnaires given to all the students to fill about and are then returned in a box, which the head of the school gets. These are anonymous and ask questions such as who is getting bullied and who is doing the bullying. Classes will then talk about bullying and the victims as well as the people doing the bullying will get special one on one counseling. This program creates a safe school environment and has the ability to stop future crime by the youth. In all, Wyoming has many options when it comes to preventing juvenile crime in the state. And there are many more things that the state can do.

Works Cited

"Helping Youth Find Their True Path." Mountain Homes Youth Ranch - Home. 2005. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://www.mhyr.com/>.

"Wild Horse Program." Department of Corrections. 2008. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://doc.state.wy.us/wildhorse/index.html>.

(http://www.javascriptkit.com), JavaScript Kit. "Wyoming News." Wyoming Tribune Eagle Online. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://www.wyomingnews.com/>.

Wilmoth, Melanie. "Lock ‘em Up: Mass Incarceration and the Juvenile Justice System | Friends of Justice." Friends of Justice | Building a Common Peace Consensus to End Mass Incarceration. 4 Oct. 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://friendsofjustice.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/lock-em-up-mass incarceration-and-the-juvenile-justice-system/>.

"Juvenile Crimes Demographics Gender, Race, and Age Studies." LawyerShop Family Law and Personal Injury Attorney Directory – Einstein Industries. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://www.lawyershop.com/practice-areas/criminal-law/juvenile law/demographics>.

"Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Education, Recreation, Community Involvement." LawyerShop Family Law and Personal Injury Attorney Directory – Einstein Industries. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://www.lawyershop.com/practice areas/criminal-law/juvenile-law/prevention>.

"Jails in Wyoming." Wyoming Jail and Crime Reports. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://www.jail.org/wyoming_correctional_facilities.htm>.

Teton Youth & Family Services | Jackson, Wyoming. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://www.redtopmeadows.org/>.

(Practitioner Perspective) https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/bja/186266.pdf>

The Wyoming Meth Project, http://www.wyomingmethproject.org

Interview with Assistant Professor Stewart Young, conducted 10 October 2011 at the University of Wyoming.

“Sentence Tally 63 Years for Colorado – to – Wyoming Meth Ring,” The Wyoming Tribune Eagle http://www.wyomingnews.com>

Interview, ibid.>

Wyoming Tribune Eagle, ibid.>

The top 10 lists, http://www.toptenz.net>

Ballou, Dawn, “Drug Bust Sends 17 to Prison for Drug Trafficking,”Pinedale Online, http://pinedaleonline.com 28 January 2009.

 The Wyoming Meth Project, ibid. >