Editor's Desk: Juvenile Justice

By Michael F. Flach
Herald Editor
(From the issue of 1/15/04)

The Catholic bishops of the South recently issued their third in a series of six pastoral statements on a Gospel response to the criminal justice process. The statement, "Suffer the Little Children: Juvenile Justice in the South," was signed by 42 bishops, including Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde.

The bishops said they are concerned that child poverty remains high in their region. In several Southern states, nearly 20 percent of all children live in poverty. "We have consistently pointed out that extreme poverty is a serious contributor to crime," the bishops said. "Fighting poverty, educating children, and supporting families are essential anti-crime strategies and we call on all people of good will to join these efforts."

The bishops pointed out that there are over 100,000 children under the age of 18 held in juvenile and adult correctional facilities in the U.S. on any given day. They acknowledged that there are cases where someone with a violent disposition needs to be incarcerated to adequately protect society.

"In spite of such a situation, putting more and more juveniles in jail is not the answer to crime," the bishops said. They called upon the government to redirect the vast amount of public resources away from building more prisons and toward better and more effective programs aimed at crime prevention, rehabilitation, education, substance abuse treatment and reintegration programs.

The statement said that nearly 75 percent of the children in jail or prison are African American or Hispanic. African-American youths represent 15 percent of the population, but 26 percent of juvenile arrests, 44 percent of youths who are detained, 46 percent of youths who are judicially waived to criminal court, and 58 percent of youths admitted to state prisons.

"We must again stress that discrimination and racism are serious contributors to crime," the bishops said. "We join those asking our states why there is disproportionate racial prosecution and confinement of juveniles."

The bishops are also disturbed by the trend toward trying children under 18 as adults and placing juveniles in prisons with adults. They oppose allowing juvenile inmates to be in contact with adult inmates, as well as efforts to give prosecutors, as opposed to courts, the authority to decide if juveniles should be tried as adults for serious crimes.

They are deeply concerned about the access of children to handguns. The five states with the highest rate of gun ownership are all in the South. "We support measures that control the sale and use of firearms and make them safer," including a requirement that all gun manufacturers equip all guns with safety locks.

"We again ask all people of good will to join us in a thorough re-examination of our criminal justice system," the bishops said. "When we respond to the evils of crime we must do so in a manner that is consistent with our commitment to the essential human dignity of each person, whether they are victims of crime or offenders.

"Young people are our greatest treasure and our hope for the future," the bishops said. "How we treat the children in our communities today will help shape the future for all of us tomorrow."

For additional information about this statement, or any of the previous pastoral statements, contact Sr. Jan Barthel, communications coordinator for the Catholic Committee of the South, 150 Mt. Tabor Rd., Martin, Ky. 41649, or email janibosb@hotmail.com. — M.F.F.

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