WISER WAYS ON YOUTH CRIME

When JamesOn Curry was drafted by the Chicago Bulls last June, some
reporters called the choice risky, because of one mistake Mr. Curry
made in high school. Others, though, correctly saw it as a terrific
story of redemption, showing the power of giving youth who make bad
mistakes a second chance.

Mr. Curry was a promising North Carolina high school student whose
basketball prowess secured him a college scholarship at the University
of North Carolina. At age 17 he was caught selling marijuana. His
scholarship vanished along with all the recruiters who had promised
him the moon and the stars. He faced a future with limited prospects.

But Mr. Curry pleaded for a second chance, and one institution
reconsidered. Oklahoma State University accepted him and he led their
team in assists for the last two years. He now plays in the NBA.

Everyday you can look for and find proof that, provided the right
services and support, troubled children can turn their lives around
and become productive citizens. Unfortunately, far too many kids are
denied the chance Mr. Curry received. On any given day, an estimated
7,500 juveniles are held in adult jails around the country.

Many languish for months awaiting trial, and many receive no
educational or other vital services while in jail. Placing youths in
adult jails is part of a supposed "get tough" policy. The threat of
facing the adult criminal justice system, they say, scares young
offenders so they won't break the law again or be tempted to break the
law. And being in an adult facility can keep young offenders behind
bars and off the streets longer. Unfortunately, while the talk is
tough, the policies do not improve public safety.

A recent study published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) finds that transferring youth to the adult criminal
justice system significantly increases crime. The research, from a
task force consisting of juvenile justice experts from the CDC, the
National Institute of Justice, Columbia University, the New Jersey
Medical School and the National Institute of Mental Health is only the
latest in many reports that point out the problems in "getting tough."

Thirty years ago, Congress recognized the need to give youths every
chance to turn their lives around. But during the 1980s and 1990s,
this approach gave way to new laws that mandated putting more
juveniles on trial as adults. During the 1990s, the number of youths
held in adult jails across the country exploded. As a result of these
laws, an estimated 200,000 youths under age 18 each year pass through
the adult criminal justice system -- the majority for nonviolent offenses.

The task force's basic conclusion could not be clearer: "Transferring
juveniles to the adult justice system is counterproductive as a
strategy for deterring subsequent violence." In fact, teenagers
transferred to the adult criminal system are about a third more likely
to be re-arrested for violent or other crime than youths with similar
backgrounds charged with the same types of offenses who stay in the
juvenile court system.

Most importantly, they are denied the kinds of social services
tailored to the needs of kids who need that help to become productive
citizens.

The research that inspired the Supreme Court to end the death penalty
for minors clearly establishes that the ability of our young people to
make sound, mature and responsible decisions is still developing into
the early 20s. While this does not absolve them of responsibility for
their actions, it certainly should influence how as a society we hold
them accountable and attempt to rehabilitate them. Treating them as
adult offenders should be saved for only the small fraction of those
200,000 young people who are the most serious and violent offenders.

The Senate can play a pivotal role as it tackles reauthorization of
the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. This important
piece of legislation must provide young people with the help they
need, not a misguided referral to an adult jail cell.

Young people should not be robbed of their future. James-On Curry
proved that, given a second chance, he could turn his life around. Had
he been placed in an adult jail and tried in the adult criminal
justice system, he would have not had that second chance.

Treating youths as adult criminals is not the answer; in fact, it is
part of the problem.