When it comes to disciplining certain first-time juvenile offenders, Kansas Appleseed Deputy Director Mike Fonkert says it’s best not to go overboard, and he made his comments on KVOE’s Talk of Emporia recently.
Fonkert’s comments deal directly with Immediate Intervention Programs, which Kansas Appleseed came to champion nearly a decade ago but have drawn the ire of Lyon County Attorney Marc Goodman on several occasions. IIPs are offered to first-time juvenile offenders before formal charges are filed — but if IIPs are successfully completed, there are no charges filed.
Goodman has been a vocal opponent of the IIP concept since it was approved in 2016 because it “reinforces non-accountability” among juveniles and fails to protect them from the sharply different approach in the adult corrections system
Fonkert’s comments also come after three incidents in Emporia schools over the past year. Because of IIPs, Lyon County prosecutors could not confirm or deny whether any misdemeanor charges could be connected to allegations of misconduct by Emporia High football players against a teammate last year — and prosecutors also could not say whether they could file misdemeanors against students said to have falsely accused an adult of inappropriate touching during the Emporia Middle School spring dance earlier this year. However, one juvenile was named after allegedly bringing a BB gun to Emporia High in March, prompting lockdowns at several Emporia schools and Flint Hills Technical College.
