CITY COUNCIL OKS CRIME ORDINANCES AIMED AT HELPING DELINQUENT JUVENILES

Juveniles caught with marijuana or alcohol in Grand Junction will be
summonsed into municipal court instead of county court beginning next
year, a change aimed at giving offenders more personal attention and
curbing such crimes.

The City Council passed two ordinances this week that will make
juvenile possession of marijuana and alcohol municipal offenses,
moving cases out of the state court system at the Mesa County Justice
Center into the city's municipal court system.

The city ordinances, which City Attorney John Shaver said will likely
take effect near the end of January, call for:

Up to a $1,000 fine, public service and up to 30 days in jail for
anyone who provides alcohol to a minor.

Up to a $1,000 fine, 24 hours of public service, drug or alcohol
education classes, drug or alcohol evaluation and treatment and
suspension of a driver's license for three months for the first
offense for minors who possess marijuana or alcohol.

Up to 30 days in jail in addition to the fine, public service,
classes, evaluation and treatment and driver's license suspension for
anyone 18 and older who possesses marijuana or alcohol.

Advocates, including the Grand Junction City Youth Council, said the
primary reason they want to move these juvenile offenses to municipal
court is they believe teens will get more personal attention from a
municipal judge who might not have the caseload a county judge carries.

"We may have an opportunity to have a little more impact on these
cases because our caseload in municipal court is smaller than in
state court," Shaver said.

Another benefit to moving the offenses under the jurisdiction of
municipal court is the option of Teen Court, in which juveniles are
sentenced by a teen jury.

The program, which puts teens in the position of serving as the
judge, attorneys and jury in juvenile cases, is designed to educate
juvenile offenders about the judicial process and help them see the
impact of their crimes without giving them a permanent record.

The ordinances will increase the workload of the city attorney's
office, but Shaver said he believes his staff will be able to handle
the extra burden. He said he will closely monitor the cases to ensure
his office isn't becoming overloaded.

Councilman Gregg Palmer aid he was initially concerned that
prosecuting the offenses in municipal court would add another layer
of government to the problem. But he said he changed his mind because
he believes underage alcohol possession is being under-enforced.

Last year, Grand Junction police made 697 arrests for cases of minors
in possession of alcohol and 92 arrests for minors in possession of marijuana.