Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 30, 1995 TAG: 9510300102
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Ashley Leaman, Roanoke
The background:
The Allen administration has said sweeping reforms are needed to combat a surge in juvenile crime. Virginia's juvenile crime rate increased 21 percent between 1980 and 1993, while the nation's rate fell 4 percent, according to the state Department of Criminal Justice Services.
In March, Gov. George Allen signed an executive order creating a commission to recommend a plan for fighting juvenile crime. This month, the 31-member Governor's Commission on Juvenile Justice Reform, headed by Attorney General Jim Gilmore, released its recommendations. They include trying and sentencing the worst teen-age criminals as adults, opening juvenile court proceedings to the public and using military-style discipline on first-time offenders.
A General Assembly commission has a separate study under way that focuses more on rehabilitation.
The General Assembly's role:
Addressing juvenile offenders has not been absent from the state legislature's agenda. Past measures include last year's enactment of a law that allows a juvenile 14 and over to be tried automatically as an adult for murder charges and one 16 and over to be tried automatically as an adult for serious felonies.
A study is under way this year by the Commission on Youth's Juvenile Justice Task Force, appointed by the General Assembly. Last week, it released a public opinion poll that was at odds with recommendations from the governor's commission. The poll showed that most Virginians favor rehabilitation over punishment when it comes to treating juvenile crime. Both commissions are considering major changes to the system for next year's legislative session.
The answers
The question was directed to the candidates for the House of Delegates seat representing Northwest Roanoke, South Roanoke, Southwest Roanoke and six precincts in the Cave Spring section of Roanoke County.
Del. Clifton "Chip" Woodrum (D): "While the growth in juvenile crime has not increased more rapidly than that of the adult population since 1975, the arrest rate for certain violent crimes - murder/non-negligent manslaughter and aggravated assault - has increased more rapidly than in the adult sector.
"This is a problem of which the General Assembly has been aware and with which it has sought to deal. I would support authorizing juvenile judges to transfer persons previously sentenced as juveniles to the Department of Corrections at age 18, if they show no progress or are disruptive; revising the juvenile code to provide for `public safety and protection of victims' in the statement of the purpose and intent of juvenile law and permit victims or their representatives to attend all court proceedings; increasing funding for probation and detention staffs; increasing funding for detention centers (especially Coyner Springs [juvenile detention home].)"
Newell Falkinburg (R): "Prevention, of course, is the linchpin of any long-term strategy dealing with juvenile crime. I support Governor Allen's commission's recommendations on juvenile justice reform: Prosecute the most violent and chronic juvenile offenders as adults, separating them from less serious offenders; establish programs and facilities within the Department of Corrections and the Department of Youth and Family Services to support an effective strategy for reducing juvenile crime and protecting society; straighten the role of Virginia's public schools by creating more alternative education programs to separate violent and disruptive students; and increase information collection by and between agencies within the juvenile justice and education system."
What other candidates say:
Trixie Averill, a Republican challenging Del. Richard Cranwell, D-Roanoke County, unveiled a plan for juvenile justice reform at an August campaign appearance with Gilmore. She proposed that juvenile criminal proceedings be open to the public; juveniles charged with violent crimes or who are repeat felons be tried and sentenced as adults "whether they are 13 or 30"; and juvenile court records be open to the public. The focus of her proposal, which mirrors that of many Republican candidates, is to shift the emphasis of the juvenile courts from rehabilitation to punishment.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB