Murder Trials for Juveniles

* In his March 11 column “A Legislative Con Job on Juvenile Crime,” Ron Harris fails to understand why legislators are introducing bills to lengthen the jail time served by violent juveniles. Instead, he simply indicts all legislators who introduce such legislation as poll watchers who subordinate policy to politics.

Harris takes issue with my bill, AB 136, which gives judges the discretion to try 14- and 15-year-olds accused of murder as adults. The bill doesn’t mandate adult trial for juveniles, it simply says judges can determine whether or not an accused murderer should serve seven years as a juvenile or 16 years as an adult--on a case by case basis.

Harris claims I introduced AB 136 for political reasons since crime is a popular issue. If he was interested in being accurate, Harris would have told readers that I introduced the bill on Jan. 13, 1993, well before crime became the “hot” issue. I did so following the senseless and brutal killing of an 8-year-old San Jose boy, Melvin Ancheta, by a 15-year, 11-month-old male. The 15-year-old repeatedly stabbed Melvin and nearly decapitated him with a meat cleaver.

I don’t want this 15-year-old out of jail at age 22, which is possible under current law. Unfortunately, it’s too late to keep this 15-year-old in jail for a long term, but I certainly don’t want other similar cold-blooded murderers released after seven years. Under Harris’ blanket call for prevention programs in all circumstances, let us not forget the population about whom he is talking--violent murderers, usually with an extensive criminal record, who could not be helped through local prevention efforts.

We are talking about convicted murderers. Anyone convicted of first- or second-degree murder is a very serious threat to society. To best provide for public safety, these individuals need the longer jail terms available through adult courts.

Maybe Harris is content to blame society for the barbaric actions of murderers, but I’m not. We should trust judges to make the right decisions on whether or not seven years is enough time served by sophisticated murderers.

CHUCK QUACKENBUSH

State Assembly, R-Cupertino