Wyoming needs a central data collection system for juveniles who run afoul of the law, Gov. Dave Freudenthal's special advisor on juvenile justice issues said Wednesday.

"We have no idea of how many kids are hitting the system, where they are hitting the system or how much money we are spending," former 5th Judicial District Judge Gary Hartman said in a speech at the Wyoming Methamphetamine and Substance Abuse Conference in Casper.

Hartman also advocated for drug court programs as a way to address repeat juvenile and adult offenders.

"We need to make a difference in people's lives," he said during a lunchtime address to the roughly 500 people attending the conference. "If we can solve an alcohol problem or a substance abuse problem, there is a very good chance that that person could become a productive person in society."

The governor chose Hartman last year to advise him on juvenile justice issues. Before that, Hartman served 25 years as a district court judge in Worland, where he helped start a juvenile drug court and family court.

Many of the people that end up in court have an underlying substance abuse problem, the judge said.

"So why can't we focus our efforts on dealing with those issues?" he asked. "And if we can solve the issue for that individual, maybe that person is not going to come back into court. I think that's where we have to go with our juvenile system. I think this is where we have to go with our adult system."

Hartman is not the first official to advocate for a statewide system for keeping track of juvenile offenders. Other experts have suggested such a system could help authorities understand why young people are being locked up.

A national report last year found Wyoming had the nation's second-highest rate of children in custody.

In his remarks, Hartman said the state has no defined policy for short- and long-term detention of juveniles.

"We need a juvenile detention policy in Wyoming," he said. "I think that is coming. But I think a lot of players have to come to the table … and decide what are we going to do with our youth in Wyoming."

One Wyoming boy, he noted, was currently in custody because he'd smoked a cigarette.

"Could not that child be better served in the community?" Hartman said.

Reach crime reporter Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.

The sixth annual Wyoming Methamphetamine and Substance Abuse Conference continues today at the Parkway Plaza in Casper. Today's lunch speaker is Chris Rose, executive director of The Meth Project, which works to reduce use of the dangerous stimulant.]]->