Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced today that an Initiative designed to combat youth auto theft with earlier intervention is already helping drive down recidivism rates.
The first year of data on this initiative's performance is available now.
The Youth Auto Theft Early Intervention Initiative is a unique collaboration between prosecutors, local law enforcement, and social workers to combat youth auto theft. Rather than waiting until a young person is charged and prosecuted in the court system, the program seeks to intervene before a car theft occurs. The second prong of the program features expedited legal review for other youth who do have auto theft-related cases submitted to HCAO by law enforcement.
The initiative is part of a broader HCAO effort to implement policies and practices that are grounded in research and evidence to improve outcomes. The goal is to improve community safety and wellbeing through both individual and system accountability that leads to positive results for youth, families, and our communities, while simultaneously centering victims and their healing.
The Youth Auto Theft Early Intervention Initiative started in June 2023. A year later, 81% of youth served through the initiative didn’t have any new charges from the time of their referral through May 15, 2024.
“Waiting for young people to steal cars, potentially hurting others or themselves, and gain a criminal record is not the answer,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “This initiative shows that when prosecutors, law enforcement, and social workers join together to intervene early and support young people and their families, we can prevent crime from occurring. Early intervention helps improve justice and public safety for everyone.”
Since the program started in June 2023:
- 81% of youth (95 participants) who were referred to voluntary services had no new charged cases as of May 15, 2024.
- The number of youth auto theft cases submitted to HCAO was 48% lower from January to May 2024 than the same period in 2023 (before this initiative went into effect).
- Auto theft reports to law enforcement were down 30% across Hennepin County during the same time period.
- The vast majority of participants and their families are accepting voluntary services from a social worker.
In Minneapolis, auto thefts dropped 29% from Jan. 1 to June 24, 2024, compared to the same period last year. Auto thefts dropped in every single Minneapolis ward, according to the Minneapolis Crime Dashboard.
“The youth auto theft crisis our community has faced has clearly shown that police cannot solve this problem alone,” said Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne. “The success of this program shows that restoration is a needed puzzle piece that’s been missing and will help prevent more auto thefts in the future.”
Under the early intervention initiative, staff from the HCAO Youth Prosecution, Child Protection, and Be@School (truancy prevention) divisions partner with law enforcement to identify youth who are engaging in auto theft-related behaviors but haven’t committed prosecutable offenses.
A social worker then contacts the family to connect them with voluntary services such as case management, connection to mental health and Family Response Stabilization Services, school reengagement, and support with accessing basic needs (e.g. food, clothing, and shelter), transportation, and public assistance.
Feedback from the families involved in the program predominantly reflects that they were not surprised their child was displaying concerning behavior and that they were unsure of how to access support.
The second prong of HCAO’s new approach to youth auto theft intervention includes prioritizing quicker charging decisions when law enforcement submits a case, and collaborating with court partners to ensure immediate access to services once a youth is charged. The number of youth auto theft cases where a charging decision was made within 3 days increased by 18% and where a charging decision was made within 10 days increased by 24% for the period of July 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024, compared to the same period one year earlier. Court partners also implemented new voluntary services for youth who are charged with auto theft. The combination of expedited charging and immediate access to services ensures that youth and families can access needed support much more quickly.
Recidivism rates for youth charged with auto theft have historically been very high, so it’s critical to interrupt this behavior or prevent it from escalating. Looking at 2019 data, the one-year recidivism rate for youth charged with auto theft was 58%. That number grew to 63% the second year, and 68% longer term.
Both prongs of the Youth Auto Theft Early Intervention Initiative are designed to reduce the likelihood of future auto thefts by ensuring earlier opportunities for intervention and accountability.
“We know that interventions with youth are most effective when they are immediate, relational, individualized, and community based,” said HCAO Deputy County Attorney and Youth & Families Division Director Sarah Davis. “By being proactive through this initiative to intervene early and provide youth with services to support them and their families, we can meaningfully improve outcomes and make our communities safer.”