UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, January 18. 1995
7B
Teen social strains rising
Youth pregnancies increase in Kansas
By Traci Carl Associated Press Writer
TOPEKA — The health and education of Kansas children is improving, but the state's teen-agers face an increase of 9 percent in violent deaths and a 10 percent increase in juvenile arrests, according to the third annual 1995 Kansas Kids Count data book.
The book, released yesterday during a news conference at the Statehouse, is a collection of data on the economic, educational and physical health of Kansans from birth to age 19.
Kansas Action for Children Inc., the University of Kansas and Frye Allen Advertising Inc. of Topeka are partners in putting the book together.
Statistics show that economic strain on families has worsened, with almost one fourth of Kansas children
qualifying for free school meals and 3,430 more children receiving economic aid in 1994 compared to 1993.
"Living in poverty is especially hard on children who, too often, become a part of a cycle of poor health, school failure and violence because of the poverty in which they live," said Joyce Hudson Martin, project director.
Kansas children receiving prenatal care rose 2 percentage points to 84 percent and those participating in Head Start has improved by 18 percentage points to 42 percent of eligible children.
The death rate of children under 14 has decreased during the past 13 years, down from 41 to 28 deaths per 100,000 children.
But the number of single teens having children — an increase of 42 percent to 3,422 in 1993 — is disturbing news to both Kansas teen-agers and children, Martin said.
ment and economic prospects perpetuating the cycle of more children disadvantaged by growing up in poverty."
"Eighty percent of adolescent parents drop out of school," Martin said. "We know that teen mothers often have poorer educational, employ-
The fact that 19 percent of Kansas teen-agers didn't graduate from high school in 1993 is more bad news for the state's young adults.
"The cost to teens in not completing high school is often higher unemployment, lower income and a widening gap between their peers who finished school," Martin said. "Data show that the unemployment rate for dropouts is almost two times greater than the rate for those with diplomas."
But 74 percent of high school graduates pursuing post-secondary education or training is an increase for the fifth consecutive year.
The number of children living in custody of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services has increased 13 percent, with Wyandotte County having the largest number of children placed out of the home. That rate has increased throughout the past six years.
Youth corrections could improve
The Associated Press
TOPEKA — A juvenile court judge told lawmakers yesterday that shifting the jurisdiction of juvenile offenders from the state's social service agency to the Department of Corrections would not solve the problem of juvenile crime.
"It simply shifts the responsibility for dealing with those youth to the Department of Corrections and in effect eliminates any viable attempt at rehabilitation," Shawnee County District Judge Daniel Mitchell told lawmakers.
The Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee are holding joint hearings to study juvenile issues.
Lawmakers are expected to consider creating a separate youth authority to take over programs that now are under the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. They could also consider placing the state's four youth attention centers, now operated by SRS, under corrections.
"I question whether society is truly protected by virtue of early incarceration without rehabilitation," said Mitchell, who has been a juvenile court judge since 1985.
"Rehabilitation doesn't always occur at the same level on the same time frame for every child," Mitchell said.
Sen. Tim Emert, R-Independence, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he wanted to determine if the present juvenile code needs to be overhauled.
"As it is written now, is it adequate,
does it give you the flexibility to do
what needs to be done, if you had the
resources?" Emert asked Mitchell.
"By and large, yes," Mitchell replied. He said that 70 to 75 percent of the juveniles who appear before him never return to court again.
Mitchell also said professionals in the field generally agree the present juvenile system needs more money, both at the local and state levels.
"Our facilities are overcrowded, understaffed and under pressure to move residents prematurely in the course of rehabilitation," Mitchell said.
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