ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 13, 1996 TAG: 9611130094
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER AND THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE STATE'S FIRST STUDY of juvenile recidivism criticizes the Allen administration for launching its get-tough course without sufficient planning, resources and treatment programs.
The state Department of Juvenile Justice places more emphasis on punishment than rehabilitation, even though 73 percent of young offenders are arrested again within three years, a legislative watchdog agency said Tuesday.
The department also inadequately planned for the increasing number of violent offenders in the juvenile prison system, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission said.
The report, which is highly critical of Gov. George Allen's administration, renews the debate in Virginia over the appropriate mix of punishment and treatment for children who commit crimes. The bipartisan research team investigates state government for the General Assembly.
The study recommended that the department pay as much attention to rehabilitation, required for juveniles under state law, as it does to punishment and security.
Allen's administration said the high incidence of repeat offenders justifies get-tough policies that have lengthened sentences for violent youths.
Security is critical for public safety and ``that was our first priority,'' department director Patricia West said.
West said the strict security is needed to "maintain an atmosphere within which treatment programs have an improved chance to succeed.''
But child advocates and some Democratic lawmakers say the Allen administration has paid too little attention to helping troubled youngsters turn their lives around.
``If they're bad when they go in, they'll be bad when they come out if there's no treatment,'' said Del. William Robinson, a Norfolk Democrat.
JLARC tracked 460 youths who were released between July 1992 and June 1993 from juvenile correctional centers and other structured settings.
The re-arrest rate ranged from 80 percent for locally operated group homes to 59 percent for state-operated aftercare facilities.
The study found that youths were twice as likely to be arrested for a violent felony after their release from a correctional facility. More than 15 percent of recidivists were re-arrested for violent felonies.
The JLARC report concluded that the Allen administration embarked on its get-tough course without sufficient planning and resources for the extra bed space and treatment programs needed.
The administration reclassified several crimes as ``major'' offenses, meaning that more juveniles have to serve longer sentences. Last year, Allen pushed for changes in the juvenile justice system that made it easier for youths to be tried as adults.
West said several new prisons are under construction, bed space will be purchased from private providers and a new boot camp and wilderness work program are under development.
The report found a ``growing mismatch'' between the skill levels of counselors and the treatment needs of the youths. Counselors - fewer than 20 percent of whom have a license or special certification - deal with a population in which half come from families where parents abuse drugs and/or alcohol or have a criminal record.
The typical counselor sees each juvenile in his caseload about once a week.
JLARC also criticized the agency for some punishment and restraint practices in which:
* All juveniles at the Bon Air Correctional Center are shackled without respect to their physical condition, mental state, or actual risk to public safety. Most of the prisoners at Bon Air are girls.
* Juveniles were controlled with ``four-point restraint.''
* Juveniles at the largest juvenile prison, the Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center, were to be held in solitary confinement for up to 45 days.
The isolation program at Beaumont was never implemented because of news stories about the plan.
JLARC project leader Wayne Turnage said the restraint techniques were basically ``hog-tying a kid.''
``They would put his hands behind his back and tie them to his legs for up to eight hours,'' he said.
The practice has been discontinued, but shackles are still being used at Bon Air.
JLARC recommended the Allen administration take several steps:
* Pay as much attention to rehabilitation, required for juveniles under state law, as security and punishment.
* Move nonviolent children from juvenile correctional centers to community-based programs.
* Assess counselor credentials and provide more intensive treatment.
West said her department would give due consideration to JLARC's recommendations. But she declined to say how much extra money Allen would commit to the problem in his budget recommendations to the 1997 General Assembly.
West said she was unconvinced that increased treatment would lead to reduced recidivism. She noted that JLARC had found high repeat offense levels across the board, even among youths in settings with more personalized counseling. ``I'm not saying treatment doesn't work, but we have to look at the system as a whole,'' she said.
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart by staff: The juvenile justice system KEYWORDS: MGRby CNB