The House Judiciary Committee has approved a proposal to lower from 16 to 14 the age at which a juvenile can be allowed to be tried as an adult under certain circumstances. Other states confronted with increased teen-age drug use, access to guns and gang membership have taken similar action in recent years. This followed a 700 percent increase in the juvenile heroin and cocaine arrest rate during the 1980s, and a 79 percent increase in the number of juveniles who committed murder with guns.
Social-service organizations oppose lowering the age threshold at which juveniles may be tried as adults, favoring increased prevention and counseling programs. But the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs aimed at teens is questionable, since values have been ingrained in youngsters at a much younger age.
According to national studies, about 40 percent of those who go through special-treatment programs will get into trouble again, compared with about half of those in the juvenile-justice system not enrolled in such programs. That is not a great success rate for rehab programs.
Honolulu City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle has called for a major overhaul of Hawaii's juvenile-justice system. He would require that all juveniles charged with serious violent offenses and alleged third-time offenders be hauled off to criminal court to be tried as adults.
Hawaii may not be ready for such a sweeping change of policy. But it should be willing to allow judges the discretion of determining which youths - ages 14 and older - should be treated as adults because of their repeatedly violent, criminal conduct. Juveniles must be taught that crimes don't go unpunished, even at a tender age.
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