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are
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llll'flllrtlJ,UIJJFIIS
have reschfHI
age
18, reduc•
ing crlme depends
on
s suc–
cessful }uvenlle justlce
system. Though the obstscles
are often formidable, here's
what can be done.
by
Ron Horswell
iscussion of juvenile crime
raditionatly begins with ei–
ther a terrifying statistic or a
gruesome tale of woe. A terrifying
statistic tells you what an incredibly
high percentage of rapes, muggings.
and murders are perpetrated by in–
credíbly young kids.
A gruesome tale of woe relates
how a defiant but scarcely pubes–
cen! punk has already been in court
a dozen times for rape, assault, mur–
der. and robbery. and how he's been
released each time with barely a
light slap on his fat little pudgy
hand.
With the reader's indulgence. the
standard opening (either form) will
be omitted. And those readers who
endure to the end wíll also note the
omission of the standard con–
clusion: namely, that as juvenile
crime spirals toward "out of con–
trol." society gropes frantically for a
solution. Actually there now ap–
pears to be sufficient evidence to
justify indulging ourselves in a li ttle
bit of old-fashioned optimism.
The System
Just what is the juvenile justice sys–
tem? The "system" is really a loose
assortment of institutions designed
to help, handle, or house kids in
t rouble, foster homes, specia l
schools, "camps." and semi-prisons.
All are fed their raw material of
cantankerous, troubled, frightened.
disoriented. and/or dangerous juve–
niles by the juvenile court.
In most large metropolitan areas,
the infamous juvenile hall
is
also
part of the "system." Juvenile hall is
a place of waiting either for kids
who are en route to the courtroom,
~
or for kids who have had their day
á:
., in court and are waiting for space
to
~
open up in the institulion to which
~
they have been assigned.
26
ISJUVENILE
:IUSTICE//
~ISHFUL
lfiiNKING?