BY BRITTANY ANDERSON
Something to know
Looking forward
During the press conference, Travis County District Attorney José Garza said there were at least 30 cases pending in his office relating to school threats. While there were a few adult cases, the majority were juveniles. Garza said the threshold for arresting a student is a legal standard that applies to both adults and juveniles. If there is probable cause to believe they committed a crime, he said, they will be arrested. The juvenile justice system was designed to “rehabilitate young people,” he said, working to not only balance the safety of the community but the long-term impacts of a juvenile’s involvement in the system. “The process moves more quickly than the adult process does, and our judges in the juvenile system have far more discretion than judges do in our adult system,” Garza said. Officials have also asked parents to talk to their children about responsible social media use and only making appropriate jokes.
Districts such as HCISD and Eanes ISD have implemented campaigns— “Threat Regret” and “It’s No Joke,” respectively—to inform students about the affects of making threats against campuses. Other districts such as Pflugerville ISD, which received at least three noncredible threats in September, are also continuing to implement safety measures on its campuses. PfISD officials said Sept. 23 the district is pursuing safety vestibules in front offices, entry-resistant window film and conducting weekly door inspections. All Austin metro districts have also provided anonymous tip lines for students and other community members to report threats seen on social media or heard in person.
When a juvenile makes a threat
A hearing is held for a judge to decide that there’s probable cause a crime was committed.
The risk to the community is assessed.
The judge decides if the juvenile should or should not remain detained.
If detained, the juvenile is entitled to hearings every 10 days.
SOURCE: JOSÉ GARZA, TRAVIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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