Preventing Juvenile Crime

I strongly support your Dec. 26 editorial, “Getting Tough Isn’t the Only Answer to Juvenile Crime.”

My department has long advocated the “more balanced approach” you mention. In fact, in testimony to the California Task Force to Review Juvenile Crime, I suggested a number of changes to strengthen the Juvenile Court law and at the same time offer programs to help at-risk juveniles stay crime-free.

A prime example is our Multi-Agency At-Risk Youth Committee program, which began operation in Long Beach early in 1996. Developed in collaboration with several public and private agencies, this program identifies youths 15 years of age or younger who exhibit five characteristics, identified by research, which are common among the most crime-prone juveniles (16% of first-time offenders among these juveniles go on to commit over two-thirds of future delinquent activity). A case manager ensures that the juveniles receive a wide array of services that address the criminogenic factors that underlie their attraction to crime.

The community must mobilize a major prevention effort to address the factors that contribute to juvenile crime at the same time that the juvenile justice system strengthens its response to the serious repeat juvenile offender.

BARRY J. NIDORF

Chief Probation Officer

County of Los Angeles