ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 1, 1996 TAG: 9612030140
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PATRICIA L. WEST
WHEN THE Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission issued the findings of its study of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, the results were disturbing but they were not altogether surprising. However, your Nov. 17 editorial (``The failure of juvenile justice'') about the study didn't present the whole story and that was surprising.
Readers were led to believe that the current administration of the Department of Juvenile Justice has failed on nearly every count. However, JLARC commended the department for its progress in addressing future overcrowding, providing tougher punishment, enhancing security, and successfully adopting clear, appropriate and consistent policies that addressed historical problems of the system.
You also led readers to believe that several of the most disturbing results of the study were due to departmental failure. That is simply not the case. The editorial staff should have asked the department to respond, or at least have checked facts more carefully before printing incorrect information.
The study revealed that 73 percent of juveniles released from the department in 1993 were re-arrested within three years. Those juveniles left the system in 1993. The department's current administration took office in 1994. Gov. Allen's Commission on Juvenile Justice Reform recognized the problems with the old system, and made fundamental changes that just went into effect on July 1, 1996. While the full impact of that sweeping reform hasn't yet been felt, the justification for it was certainly buttressed by this report.
Most important, you didn't accurately present the findings of the recidivism study. The study examined juveniles from vastly different treatment programs, and yet there was little variance in their rates of recidivism. You only mentioned ``juvenile offenders released from juvenile-corrections facilities,'' and failed to mention that no one type of program was more effective than another, whether in a state facility or in a local residential setting. Clearly, you missed one of the most disturbing points of the report.
You also said that the females at Bon Air are shackled and not given any therapeutic treatment. First of all, the shackling of some female wards is a temporary security measure that is in place until the perimeter security fence is completed within the next few weeks.
Second, the statement that females there receive no treatment is simply not true. Each ward is assigned an individual counselor, and those with more specific needs receive additional specialized therapy. Other juvenile offenders can also receive treatment for sex offenses, substance abuse or in anger-control programs. However, as the study confirmed, many of these juveniles have serious treatment needs that, in many cases, cannot be adequately met in the limited time they are with the department. That isn't a problem with the department; that is a problem with the whole system.
While we constantly strive to turn around the lives of the juveniles committed to us, no criminal-justice system can be expected in just a few months to change lifestyle habits that may have been in place for more than a decade. What a criminal-justice system can do is send a message to all criminals that no matter what their background, they will be held accountable for their actions.
These recent findings confirm that the comprehensive juvenile-justice reform undertaken by Gov. Allen's administration was needed. This department has already taken many steps to improve the system. We are expanding to accommodate our growing population; we enhanced our security measures; and we are instituting a military school-style program in all of the juvenile correctional centers that will emphasize structure, discipline and accountability.
We truly believe we are on the right track, but know there is still a lot left to do. It takes dedication and a number of different strategies to change the system. Misrepresenting the facts only serves to slow our progress. We constantly strive to be better, and it is to be hoped your editorial staff will, too.
Patricia L. West is director of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice in Richmond.
LENGTH: Medium: 77 linesby CNB