Prosecutors seeing an uptick of teenagers charged with violent crimes: 'The numbers aren't lying'

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Two teenagers are facing capital murder charges this week in connection with the shooting death of a man in his driveway back in December.

In a one-on-one interview with members of the juvenile division of the Harris County District Attorney's Office, they told ABC13 the crime trends they're seeing among teenagers are concerning.

Leaders at the DA's office say while homicides are reducing overall in the county, the juvenile offender homicide rate has increased by 76% since 2021.

"The numbers aren't lying on those. We are seeing an uptick in particularly very violent crimes," Harris County District Attorney's Office 314th District Court Chief Allen Otto said.

County data shows felony assaults have doubled when comparing January 2023 to January 2024.

SEE ALSO: Several teens involved in violent weekend in Houston area leading up to holiday break

Several teenagers were involved in separate shootings and robberies over a violent few days leading up to the holiday break in Harris County.

"Sometimes older kids or even young adults are using younger kids because they know the consequences of being charged as a juvenile are likely not to be as severe as if you're charged as an adult," Otto said.

He says their office seeks to certify minors to be tried as adults, mostly on violent offenses or those most likely to re-offend.

"The law says that a judge has final say on whether a kid stays in juvenile court or whether it gets moved over to adult court," Otto said.

Otto says while the juvenile violent crime numbers are concerning, within recent years, they've expanded and had success with the diversionary programs they provide teens.

At this point, they're studying recidivism rates from those programs.

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