(8 of 10)
Juvenile authorities try to find jobs for offenders, but legitimate employment often cannot match what crime pays. One 16-year-old, who spends the day in a school for delinquents in Manhattan and the night pushing drugs in Harlem, has taken in as much as $1,000 in four hours ($600 is turned over to the distributor). He spends it almost as fast as he earns it, but he boasts: "Right now, I got $1,200 in the bank. That ain't nothin' to what other people got. They have $10,000 to $20,000."
Steps Toward cure
No programs for juveniles are likely to work unless the law is first enforced. It is estimated that 10% of the youngsters who tangle with the law are incorrigible offenders. By now, even many liberals concede that this hard core must be put under some kind of permanent constraint until age, if nothing else, finally mellows them.
Phoenix Director King feels that no violent juvenile should be released until he appreciates the enormity of what he has done. King cites the case of a 16-year-old girl whose crime—murder—was explained to her over and over again. Finally, she made the connection between her mind and her hands—instruments of death. At that point, she broke down sobbing and gradually began to mend. But most of the killers remain remorseless and even bored by talk of their crimes.
If society is to be protected from the violent young, respect for punishment must be restored. Youngsters should know just what to expect if they commit a particular crime. An adult crime —like armed robbery, rape or murder —deserves adult treatment. Yet in many states, a juvenile cannot be tried in adult court for any offense. Says Harlem Detective Wilson: "There are no ifs, ands or buts about it, the laws have to be changed. The idea was to protect kids who had minor skirmishes with the law from getting a record. This kind of treatment was not made for 14-and 15-year-old kids who are killers."
The evidence suggests that a tougher policy toward violent youths reduces crime. This may seem obvious, but it was long doubted by many social scientists. Since Bronx courts this year started handing out stiffer, five-to ten-year sentences for robbery of elderly people, arrests for the offense have dropped 40%. After stronger juvenile laws were enacted and violent repeaters were finally jailed in New Orleans, teen-age homicides declined from 29 in 1973 to five in 1975. Says District Attorney Harry Connick: "If you take a career criminal off the streets, his peers get the message. They do not want to follow him."
In Memphis, the cases heard in juvenile court declined from 16,191 in 1975 to 14,174 last year; in this year's first quarter, they were down another 16%. "We are not afraid to use the word punish," says Juvenile Judge Kenneth A. Turner, who encourages the press to publish the names and addresses of youthful lawbreakers. Speaking of first offenders, he says, "Every dog is entitled to one bite." But he also warns them, "If you come back again, you'd