states, juveniles under the age of seven are automatically presumed not responsible for their criminal acts, including homicide. Thus, children six years old and younger who kill may not be prosecuted at all, even as juveniles” (p.138). Mary Curtius (1996, June 7) writes, “the criminal justice system generally assumes that anyone under 12 is not capable of understanding the consequences of his acts, and it is rare for anyone under that age to be prosecuted for crimes” (pp. A3, A23). Yet the courts are currently wrestling with the Contra County case; its outcome may set important precedents for criminal charges against very young offenders. The father of the infant (who suffered severe, permanent brain damage) who was attacked in Contra County said of his son’s assailant, “What that boy needs now is love and lots of attention” (quoted by Curtius, p. A23). His compassion echoes the views of one side in the debate. Studies have shown that up to 70% of the children in juvenile court are from single-parent homes, with a disproportionately high number of minority offenders represented in the system. Polier (1989) argues, “Greater justice for youth cannot be separated from America’s policies that affect all youths in this country"(p.163). Edward Humes (1196, May 29) agrees: “Our national fixation with meeting out adult punishments to young criminals has blinded us to the underlying crisis – the juvenile justice system’s shocking inability to impose meaningful penalties on offenders before they become the ‘predators’ we so fear”(p. A23). Humes contends that the question should not be whether or not to deal with more juvenile offenders as adults but instead how to reduce the number of juvenile offenders in the first place, through social programs that reach youngsters before they become hardened, experienced criminals. Now that new laws a...
