Teen violence on the rise across Central Valley

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Tight hugs, tears, heartache, pain. Communities crossed the Central Valley are reeling from senseless acts of unit involving young kids.

Just past week, 18-year-old precocious schoolhouse elder Caleb Quick was changeable and killed portion retired with his religion friends astatine a McDonald's successful Clovis.

Over the weekend, Monique Ramirez mislaid her 17-year-old member Carlos aft helium was changeable and killed astatine a enactment successful Winton.

"There's excessively galore young victims present successful Winton. This happens each day, determination is nary justness for them," says Monique Ramirez, a victim's brother.

Then, successful Hanford, a 15-year-old lad stabbed different teen to decease extracurricular the mall.

Police accidental the incidental progressive kids arsenic young arsenic 11.

"We're catching juveniles with guns connected a play ground astatine this time," said Hanford Police Lt. Justin Vallin.

The latest, a 17-year-old arrested aft firing a firearm successful a Reedley neighborhood, is present facing an attempted homicide charge.

"We've seen implicit the past fewer weeks an uptick. And what we've seen successful immoderate beauteous important convulsive crimes amongst our youth," said Chief Probation Officer Kirk Haynes with Fresno County.

Right now, determination are 14 kids wrong the portion holding the astir superior offenders successful Fresno County's Juvenile Hall.

Eight for murder, 2 for attempted murder. The mean property is 17 and a fractional years old.

Chief Probation Officer for Kirk Haynes believes caller authorities similar SB 823, which closed the Department of Juvenile Justice installation backmost successful 2021, has emboldened galore to perpetrate these acts.

"I deliberation it's just to accidental that there's little accountability than determination utilized to be. For instance, we could person a 16- oregon 17-year-old present who tin perpetrate a murder, knowing that the largest vulnerability that they person is astir 7 years earlier we suffer jurisdiction erstwhile they crook property 25. Different than what it utilized to be," says Haynes.

Prior to these legislative changes, the section would transportation astir 8-10 younker per twelvemonth to big court.

Since the legislative changes, enacted successful 2021, determination person lone been 3 younker who person been transferred to big court.

All were charged with murder.

Haynes says determination are respective factors that pb these kids to perpetrate these convulsive acts, specified arsenic a deficiency of resources, including things similar healthcare.

"If they don't person the tools to beryllium capable to enactment with idiosyncratic oregon to beryllium capable to person immoderate compassion for someone, this is often times the reply that they have," says Haynes.

Marcie Taylor is simply a licensed matrimony and household therapist specializing successful trauma. Her youngest client, impacted by a signifier of violence, is lone 7 years old.

"The ages are getting younger, and it's truly hard to spot that. I spot an summation successful a batch of younger children engaging successful a batch of self-harm behaviors, convulsive behaviors, due to the fact that they conscionable don't cognize however to pass the symptom that mode arsenic adults tin communicate," said Taylor.

Taylor says parents should show their children's behavior, focusing connected the 3 R's: respond, recognize, and refer.

Listen and validate a child's emotions aft traumatic events.

"It's good for them to person these emotions. It's good for them to consciousness sad. It is good for them to consciousness angry. It is good for them to feel," said Taylor.

If your kid has been exposed to violence, determination is assistance retired there, either astatine the child's schoolhouse field oregon done a backstage practice.

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