THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 20, 1995 TAG: 9510200068
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E12 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: TEENSPEAK
SOURCE: BY VALERIE CARINO, CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
Would trying teens as adults and opening their cases to the public deter crime?
TEENS 14 AND older who commit violent crimes should be tried as adults and their cases should be opened to the public. These are recent recommendations from a state commission on juvenile crime.
The commission wants prosecutors, instead of judges, to decide whether defendants in violent crimes who are 11 to 14 years old should be tried as adults. Under current law, those 11 to 14 receive a pretrial hearing with a judge before being tried as an adult.
This week, Teenspeak went to First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach and asked if such measures would deter juvenile crime. Most on the panel said yes, that harsher punishments would work.
Jacey Anderson, 17, a senior, said severe punishments would force youths who commit violent crimes to face the consequences.
``There's so much leniency toward teen offenders,'' Jacey said. ``The bottom line is, you have to have a harsh punishment to deal with the crime committed.''
Junior Mark Kickhofel, 16, agreed: ``If enough kids get in trouble and start getting punished, then others will realize thy're doing something stupid and it's not worth it.''
According to the state Department of Criminal Justice Services, Virginia's juvenile crime rate increased by 21 percent while the national rate decreased by 4 percent between 1980 and 1993.
The student panel was split on whether the public has a right to know about the criminal cases of teen offenders. Some said that by making cases public, the media might unfairly invade the privacy of youthful offenders and their families. Others said teen suspects deserve such scrutiny.
``If someone's committing violent crimes, you have a right to know,'' Jacey said. ``Your name shouldn't be protected just because you're under 18.''
The law now requires juveniles to be tried in closed courtrooms, and the criminal records are sealed once they reach adulthood. However, if that changes, teens who are found guilty of committing violent crimes will bear the burden of forever trying to prove themselves to a cynical public - including prospective employers - said one student.
``You're always going to have somebody looking at you because of something you did years ago,'' said Rolston Audain, 17, a senior. by CNB