ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Getting Juvenile Justice for Girls

Most of the youths who get into trouble with the law are boys.

That means that most of the facilities that house incarcerated juveniles are also geared toward boys, as are most of the programs.

Although girls are fewer in number, Orange County Chief Probation Officer Michael Schumacher says his department goes to great lengths to make sure that girls do not get shortchanged on rehabilitation and vocational training programs for juveniles. But the Legal Aid Society of Orange County does not think the department does as well as it should in that regard. So it is threatening to sue for equal treatment of girls.

Before that happens, the Legal Aid Society should sit down with Schumacher and Orange County Juvenile Court Presiding Judge Francisco P. Briseno, and other Juvenile Court judges, to see exactly what is being done for girls, compared to boys.

Schumacher says his department is keenly aware of the need to provide equal treatment for girls and does the best it can under trying circumstances, such as overcrowding.

But he should look to see whether there are more things that can be done to provide the girls with a broader range of opportunities than they now get. There may also be things that can be done to give judges more latitude in deciding where girls should serve their terms.

For example, Juvenile Court Judge Robert B. Hudson, who sees hundreds of youths go through his court every week, said he frequently is disturbed about his limited choices in placing a girl in the detention system.

Judge Hudson said he ends up sending girls to the state prison system’s Youth Authority, which is designed for more serious offenders, because he lacks an appropriate local alternative.

In talking about alleged disparities in Orange County, the Legal Aid Society has cited a case tried in Kentucky courts, in which a women’s prison was found, among other things, to be illegally depriving women of vocational education opportunities, in contrast with programs provided to men.

But a costly lawsuit should be avoided, if possible.

All parties involved in this disagreement have the girls’ best interests at heart. They need to work together for the girls’ benefit, and not waste their time jockeying for a legal advantage.

A lawsuit should be a last resort.