Police connect with social services to help turn around lives of juvenile carjackers; one victim calls it 'coddling'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With the uptick in carjackings in Chicago lately, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown on Friday announced a new strategy to combat them.
As CBS 2's Jackie Kostek reported, this comes in the wake of two carjackings that targeted women right downtown this week.
Police Supt. David Brown said the carjacking in Chicago is being driven by juveniles - teenagers and even pre-teens. He said many of these juveniles are repeat offenders.
"Our juvenile courts are having a very tough time holding them for very long. No one has the appetite in the juvenile court system to incarcerate our young people," Brown said, "but this is a very dangerous, serious crime."
Brown said 60 percent of the people arrested for carjackings are juveniles and some have stolen cars four, five, or even six times.
While Brown said the department will find offenders and bring them to justice, no matter their age, police are also trying to intervene.
"Trying to determine what those needs are – why is this young person committing these very heinous crimes - and try to figure out the right connection to social services," Brown said.
Brown points to the case of an 11-year-old whom he described as a prolific carjacker, responsible for traumatizing a Mt. Greenwood mom and her adult daughter last November.
CBS 2 spoke to the mom the day the 11-year-old was charged.
"He actually skipped like a child, all the way up. Skipping, like young kids do. He's being a kid," the woman said in January. "I don't actually think he knew what he was doing, or getting involved with."
The woman told us she had real concern about young people not being held accountable for their actions.
"I believe they're being taught that they can do whatever they want and there's not going to be a consequence," she said in January. "With the judges, the prosecutors, where are these parents, how are they raising these children?"
Brown said the CPD had found the child who was part of the Mount Greenwood carjacking had been out of school for two years. Brown said the boy's mom had recently died, and his dad was sick.
Chicago Police connected the 11-year-old offender to the Chicago Public Schools and a program called Choose to Change.
"Since the connections to the services were made, this young person hasn't missed a day of school and recently made the honor roll - more importantly, hasn't committed any other carjackings," Brown said.
But not everyone is encouraged by that news.
Kostek spoke to that Mt. Greenwood carjacking victim again Friday night. She didn't want her voice to be used on television, but she said she is upset that police are "coddling" these children.
The woman asked while the carjackers are getting such services, what is being done to help the victims, like her and her daughter?
WEB EXTRA: CBS 2 Carjacking Tracker
CBS Chicago Special Report From October 2021: Why I Carjack; Teens Tell All