St. Clair County’s children are doing better and have improved services provided to them when compared to years past, according to the 2008 Kids Count Data Book.

St. Clair County’s children are doing better and have improved services provided to them when compared to years past, according to the 2008 Kids Count Data Book.

The statewide study, which was commissioned by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and VOICES for Alabama, also looked at the juvenile court system and a breakdown of the poverty rate in each county.

St. Clair County was ranked ninth best county in the state when rated on a scale containing six indicators of child well-being: low-weight births, births to unmarried teens, single-parent families, children in poverty, vulnerable families, and the high school graduation rate. The study stated that those six areas are considered to be the strongest indicators available for measuring a child’s well- being.

St. Clair’s graduation rate had risen to 63.7 in 2007 percent when compared to 57.6 percent in 2000. The state average is 64.9 percent.

The number of children enrolled in special education has increased, though slightly, from 1,389 in 1998 to 1,423 in 2008.

The number of children that have been reported as being used or neglected has also fallen from 18.1 percent in 1997 to 9.6 percent last year. The state average is 8.9 percent.

The number of vulnerable families that are at risk of living at or below the poverty line has dropped in recent years from 13.3 percent to 9.1 percent. In 2006, there were 42 families listed as being vulnerable.

The study also looked at the statewide impact of youth in the juvenile justice system. The study stated that for the first time in many years, the number of low-risk, nonviolent children in the juvenile court system is falling.

“Decades of research have shown that incarceration is damaging to children and tends to increase juvenile crime,” the study stated. “In addition, residential custody is significantly more expensive than community-based sanctions, which are much more effective at addressing the underlying causes of delinquency and enabling children to live healthy and law-abiding lives. When juvenile justice resources are consumed by institutions, very little is left for community-based alternatives. Alabama cannot afford a system of correctional institutions filled with low-risk children.”

The study stated that low-risk children are jailed, that “public dollars are wasted, communities are placed in jeopardy and children are less likely to succeed.”

Because of that, the Annie E. Casey Foundation began providing assistance to state organizations last year.