NORTH JACKSON — Mahoning County Juvenile Court Magistrate Gina DeGenova promoted some of the court’s services at the township trustees meeting Tuesday.

The programs are designed to assist at-risk youth and their families. For example, the court’s Early Warning System is meant to improve school attendance for troubled youths.

“Our Early Warning System department is where we have coordinators who come out to the schools to try to combat absenteeism before it gets to the point where there are juvenile court complaints filed,” DeGenova said.

Another program offered by the court is specifically designed to combat truancy, which is unexcused absences, and involves being with the families directly.

“It’s not an adversarial proceeding,” DeGenova said. “We’re really talking to the families about what obstacles they are having, that are facing their families and having their kids end up at school.”

When speaking on juvenile crime, DeGenova argued that detention alone cannot solve juvenile crime and delinquency. She said that intervention and rehabilitation are more effective in preventing juvenile crime.

“They’re not born becoming delinquents and committing crimes; there’s usually an underlying reason for that,” DeGenova said. “What we have seen is that if you fix the problem, if you give them the resources, help them develop, you’re not gonna see recidivism and repeat offenses.”

DeGenova also spoke about root causes of juvenile delinquency, including poor economic conditions and home lives.

“You’ve got large families, you’ve got very limited adults in the home, and you’ve got younger kids who are taking care of siblings,” DeGenova said. “You’ve got parents that are working one and two jobs, and they’re not making enough money … to actually support themselves.”

DeGenova linked these circumstances to truancy at school with students not attending because of their poor home lives.

“You see students that don’t know where they’re going from one day to the next,” DeGenova said. “The problem is that … they have all of these responsibilities, and then they get into these habits of not going to school.”

She also emphasized that if regular school attendance is not instilled by parents sooner rather than later, it becomes harder for children to attend later in life.

“If you don’t establish these positive practices in kindergarten or in first grade, your son or daughter is gonna get bigger than you,” DeGenova said. “Then they’re gonna absolutely refuse to go to school.”

According to DeGenova, the juvenile court offers parenting classes for struggling parents and anger management for students. The court can be reached at 330-740-2278.

The next Jackson Township trustees meeting is Aug. 11.