
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, September 25, 1995                   TAG: 9509250080
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

CRACKING DOWN ON JUVENILE CRIME

JUVENILE CRIME has become the issue du jour in Virginia, and the state's juvenile-justice system is now the focus of no fewer than three studies: one set up by the Allen administration and headed by Republican Attorney General Jim Gilmore, one launched by legislative Democrats and chaired by Del. Jerrauld Jones, D-Norfolk, and one by the nonpartisan Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.

All three are poised to recommend sweeping changes in the way youthful offenders are dealt with, and from the politically flavored first two at least, we'll hear the proverbial harangue on ``getting tough on crime.'' (Lives there a politician who advocates getting soft on crime?)

The Gilmore commission, first out of the gate with preliminary recommendations, will doubtless get a favorable reaction when it airs these next month at a series of public hearings around the state. Support is likely to come not just from Republicans, and not just from conservatives. Indeed, some of its ideas were strongly promoted by Democrat Bill Dolan, who ran against Gilmore for attorney general in 1993.

Moreover, the public is keenly aware that it's juveniles, often very young kids, who have become the driving force behind the nation's alarming increases in violent crime. A Justice Department study released earlier this month showed juvenile arrests for murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault have risen sharply over the past decade, largely the result of handguns and drugs becoming more available.

Virginia has seen a surge in violent juvenile crime that surpasses the nation's - a 6.6 percent increase for the state from 1980 to 1993, compared with 4.7 percent nationally.

Warnings have come from many quarters, including U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno: If these arrest rates continue and the juvenile population grows as expected over the next decade, the beginning of the 21st century could bring levels of violent crime to our communities that will far exceed what they already have experienced.

Among the themes being pushed by Gilmore, and one with which few would disagree, is the need to make the public schools safe again from crime - for the sake of students, teachers and school administrators.

Additionally, he sees public education taking on a new role in crime prevention, by setting up special schools for kids who are not yet criminals, but whose behavior shows them to be ``on the edge.'' Says Gilmore: ``We need to find greater alternatives in our educational system to deal with them ... to set them on the right path before it's too late, and to prevent them from taking other kids down the criminal's path.''

The legislative panel headed by Del. Jones is also expected to emphasize the schools' role. In particular, it's likely to target truancy - long recognized as an early warning sign of a kid headed for serious trouble.

We'll reserve judgment on the full scope of recommendations until these study groups provide specifics. But it is encouraging that some political leaders seem to have not totally abandoned the concepts of early intervention and prevention, as opposed to inflexible, hard-nosed punishment for all youngsters who cross the line of the law.

Prevention is a hard sell these days. But it remains the best way to make a real dent in crime rates.

by CNB