JONESBORO, Ark. — A juvenile officer in Craighead County is warning teens that they will potentially ruin their lives if they make threats of mass violence at schools. She is also calling on mature teens to step up and set a good example.
Amy Powell is a Craighead County juvenile officer. As the supervisor in her office, Amy has seen at least six acts that constitute “Threats to Commit an Act of Mass Violence on School Property” cases in the past two weeks. In a post to Facebook on Wednesday, Amy made a plea that she hopes both parents and juveniles will pay attention to.
PSA from your friendly neighborhood Juvenile Officer!
Attention teenagers! My office has had at least SIX “Threats To Commit an Act of Mass Violence on School Property” cases in the last two weeks. This a felony, by the way.
School shooting threats (pranks) are NOT funny to anyone. They are especially not funny to YOU when you end up in juvenile detention (jail), you get expelled, and have to face your distraught parents crying in court because your future is now uncertain.
Not to mention the desensitizing that is going on. If 100 of these threats are baseless and guards are let down, what about the real threat that is # 101? You are actually putting your own immature self in more danger.
Teenagers, by nature, do stupid, impulsive stuff. They do not respond to adults and our cautionary tales. They DO respond to their peers. I am asking all of our more mature, grounded, older teens to help with this issue. I do believe you could turn this nonsense around simply by denouncing this immature behavior, PUBLICLY and LOUDLY.
It may sound rather desperate that a Juvenile Officer would reach out to our (nearly) young adults for help. But I believe in their power to make change.
And as always- noted in my previous posts- parents, get it your kid’s biz! Phones, social media, etc.
NEA Report discussed the topic with Amy further on Thursday. One of the misconceptions among juveniles is that, because they’re under 18, they will get a free pass when they break the law.
“That is not true at all,” Amy said. “The consequences for juvenile delinquency can range from probation to detention to being committed to the Division of Youth Services. In some circumstances, the Prosecuting Attorney may even throw in the towel and charge them as adults. But our youth have trouble visualizing these consequences because confidentiality laws don’t allow us to reveal any juvenile’s charges or court dispositions.”
Amy noted that juveniles do not always make the best choices and law enforcement understands that. Their understanding only goes so far when their bad decision puts an entire community into a panic, though.
“Kids will be kids and do dumb, illegal things,” Amy said. “The prosecutors and the Juvenile Department keep that in mind when handling these cases. However, the impact that these threats have on an entire school, disrupting learning and scaring kids, parents, and teachers is wearing on us. I suspect the prosecutors will begin seeking harsher penalties for these behaviors.”
Prosecuting Attorney Sonia F. Hagood echoed this sentiment in a statement issued to NEA Report about this very subject.
“Any threat, whether intended as a joke or not, will be handled with the utmost seriousness,” Hagood said. “In cases involving school threats, we will always request detention. The safety and well-being of everyone is our top priority, and actions that compromise this will not be tolerated under any circumstances.”
TroubledTeens.com is a resource for parents looking for direction or answers on whether their child may be at risk or in need of help.
More resources are available at EmpowerMyTeen.com.
National Parent Helpline (+1-855-427-2736)
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