CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Nueces County Juvenile Justice Center is seeing an increase in children being committed to juvenile prison, that number doubling this year.
Director of Juvenile Probation for Nueces County Homer Flores said that the crimes he's seen go far beyond vaping or truancy. He said that he's seen an increase in crimes like car theft, aggravated assaults and even the use of firearms.
"We committed nine this past year and usually we are around a number of four to five," he said.
Flores said he's seen a growing number of cases involving gun violence.
"There's been an increase between this year and last year of gun offenses; probably had around 12 this past year," he said.
For a child to be committed to the state is normally a last resort, something Flores said is a punishment that fits the crime.
"Once a kid is committed to the state, unfortunately they're having to wait about two-to-three months prior to going to the state because they are over populated at the state level," he said.
It's an issue Flores said can create problems for the facility, especially if the child has checked out mentally.
"The kid's already been committed and they're waiting so long, sometimes the behavior just deteriorates because unfortunately they feel as though, what do they have to loose," he said.
Nueces County Court at Law No. 5 Judge Timothy McCoy has seen a lot of juvenile cases in his years of practicing law, but points out that he's notices a pattern this year.
"There's been an increase this last year of violent type offenses," he said.
McCoy said that while the juvenile office is meant to be a tool for helping steer youth in the right direction he emphasizes that guiding hand begins at home.
"When we see the biggest problems, and problems start arising with children it's because they're at the house alone, no supervision," he said.