14 year olds referred to El Paso juvenile detention center the most in the past 5 years

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)-- Over the last five years, 54% of the juveniles referred on assault family violence have been females. Further data shows 14 year olds were referred more than any other age group.

Rosie Medina, Chief juvenile probation officer at the El Paso Juvenile Detention Center says age 14 is the crux of adolescence due to developing brain and hormonal changes.

"We can't negate the fact that, some of the children that we encounter often are victims themselves and victims. What I mean is different types of abuse, whether emotional, sexual, physical abuse, or they've witnessed it." Medina said

She says majority of kids that come into their system experience 4 childhood adverse experiences. "It's very telling to us because that's an indicator that there's trauma. When we are working with the families and we're assessing, we utilize this information to find the appropriate trauma informed care services to address those needs and young ladies experience events in their environment, sometimes very differently than young men." Medina said

Salvador Leos the Director of intake services says the number of family assault referrals have increased over the years, in 2022 they received 160 assault family violence referrals, in 2023, they received 194 and in 2024 they received 236.

"I would advise parents not to wait until the situation escalates and they have lost full control of their children. I would advise them to seek help from a mental health professional who can assess the situation and address the underlying reasons why their child is acting out to provide the appropriate interventions." Leos said

Emergence Health Network offers programs that can help family identify and address behavior issues before teens get into any legal trouble.