before killing her, he beat her and then stabbed her seventy-two times. Violent juvenile crime is increasing at twice the rate of violent crimes made by adults. By the year 2005, the number of teenagers between ages fourteen and seventeen will grow by twenty-three percent. How can this epidemic of violence among our young people be controlled? First and foremost is education. Education in elementary school, in middle school, in high school, and most important, education at home. Learning the difference between right and wrong begins at birth. Early childhood is the most crucial time for this learning to take place. Parents must be held responsible for teaching their children what is right and what is wrong and if they refuse to accept their roles as teachers, then the government will be forced to step in. Education is most important because its goal is prevention rather than rehabilitation. First time offenders, in both adult and juvenile systems, are very rarely punished unless they are charged with a very serious crime. Children must learn that they are accountable for their actions. We are wrong when we do not teach them that their actions do have significant consequences. A young child who runs across a busy city street will most certainly face immediate punishment at the hands of his mother. The same should go for the juvenile offender the first time he breaks the law. After all, how will the offender learn that he or she will be accountable for their actions. With almost everyone agreeing that the juvenile justice system is in failure, some alternative punishments should be considered. In East Boston District Court, Judge Domenic Russo sets a strict curfew on all juvenile first time offenders. The curfew is determined by the age of the juvenile. It is one-half of their age, so a sixteen year old would have to be at home by eight in the evening. Some judges and elected officials are now sending juvenile offenders...
