Let’s Keep Juvenile Suspects Anonymous : They Must Have Every Opportunity to Change Their Ways as They Gain Maturity.

It is difficult to tell whether a youth arrested for the first time is embarking on a life of crime or has made a single--perhaps even very serious--mistake. That question is at the heart of a debate in Orange County over making more names of juvenile offenders public. Law enforcement officials believe more disclosure should be made, in part to protect the public. But caution is advised. Revealing the names of juveniles who tangle with the law could keep them from leaving behind youthful errors to become law-abiding citizens.

Currently, Juvenile Court decides which names are released. In practice, names are made public only in high-profile criminal cases such as that involving the brutal Dec. 31 murder of 17-year-old Stuart A. Tay of Orange. Four teen-agers indicted in that case will be tried as adults in Superior Court. A fifth pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in Juvenile Court; he will testify against the others. All five youths--four of them under 18--were publicly named.

Most news organizations, including The Times, print the names of juveniles only when they are suspected of heinous crimes. But what about the drive-by or gang shootings that, sadly, have become almost routine?

In a speech to the Orange County Chiefs of Police and Sheriff’s Assn., Francisco P. Briseno, presiding judge of Orange County Juvenile Court, said he would support greater use of laws already on the books allowing access to the names of juvenile suspects. He said he thinks the public is generally unaware that “some of these kids have Uzis and they are shooting people.” Briseno was responding to the frustration expressed by police chiefs in Orange County who believe the public would be protected better if the names of criminal youths were known more. It is questionable, however, that revealing names, even of those who brandish Uzis, would be an effective alert. Young people today are too mobile, for one thing.

Juvenile law leans toward keeping the names of juveniles secret for a good reason: children--even street savvy youths--don’t have the psychological tools to assess the long-term effects of their actions. For that reason, they must be given every chance to rehabilitate as they mature. Privacy is important to that process.

The Orange County Probation Department found in two studies that more than two-thirds of juvenile offenders had only one encounter with the law. These scared-straight youngsters shouldn’t have their adult lives tainted by youthful errors. Naming them publicly could affect adversely their second chance.