Wilson Seeks Reform of Youth Laws

The teenager whose home was searched by Sacramento sheriff’s deputies last January was exactly the kind of target authorities had in mind when they recently attempted to stem an epidemic of teen murders.

Officers, acting on a tip that the boy possessed a weapon while he was on probation, found a handgun hidden in his sister’s bedroom. Despite parental consent and a subsequent confession from the youth, a court referee ruled the search too broad and dismissed charges.

Two months later, police said, the boy committed a double homicide.

“It’s frustrating when we did everything right,” Sheriff’s Det. Trang To, who conducted the search, complained Tuesday.

The story was intended to illustrate the need for a “total overhaul” of juvenile justice laws that Gov. Pete Wilson recommended Monday in his State of the State speech. As a priority for his administration, Wilson told lawmakers that he will pursue a series of reforms intended to prevent at-risk youths from slipping into an outlaw life.

Some of his ideas are intended to lure youngsters out of dangerous environments and provide them with proper role models. Others, such as his plan to crack down on juvenile crime, are intended to reinforce a tarnished maxim: Crime doesn’t pay.

“Until we reform the law, until those who are in fact guilty of serious crimes . . . are treated as seriously as their crimes require, they are literally going to continue to get away with murder,” Wilson said Tuesday during an appearance with nearly two dozen officers and law enforcement officials at a Sacramento County sheriff’s station.

Wilson said laws governing juveniles are “dangerously lenient” and, as a result, teenage scofflaws have developed a lack of fear and respect for the justice system.

“It’s no wonder that they sneer at the law,” Wilson said. “We have a juvenile justice system that treats gang activity like a pillow fight.”

Flanked by assenting officers, Wilson complained that youthful offenders are often released from custody hours after they are apprehended, sometimes without penalty.

In one proposal made this week to the Legislature, the governor called for every illegal act to be punished with a penalty, even if it is a sentence to community service or suspension of a driver’s license. For those who commit serious or violent crimes, the governor demanded that defendants be held in custody at least until they appear before a judge.

The problem, the governor said, is that the corrections system lacks the capacity to incarcerate all of the eligible offenders. So Wilson announced Tuesday that he will support the sale of $150 million in bonds to help pay for 2,000 new juvenile detention beds.

Among the governor’s other proposals made this week:

* Allow no more than one sentence of probation for youths who commit a violent crime and no probation if a firearm is used during a violent crime.

* Give district attorneys--instead of courts--the discretion to prosecute weapons charges or violent crimes involving defendants age 14 and older in adult court.

* Make prosecution of gang activity easier and provide more money to specialized court programs that target youth crimes.

* Add a total of $330 million--including the $150-million bond sale--to the California Youth Authority and county juvenile camps.

* Enforce a curfew that has been credited with reducing juvenile crime in San Diego.

Wilson also proposed that government help in providing role models for at-risk youths. He suggested that government join with private sector resources to launch a mentoring program. And he called for the creation of a statewide system of single-gender public schools particularly intended to provide boys with male supervision they might lack at home.

Some of the proposals are likely to involve controversy. San Diego’s strict curfew that Wilson used as a model is being challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union. A federal judge last month upheld the city ordinance, but the ACLU said it will appeal.

Democratic leaders in the Legislature said they are open to considering Wilson’s proposals. They also welcomed the governor’s attention to the issue of juvenile justice, saying it is an area that needs action.

“He’s got the right topic and something we need to do something on,” said Sandy Harrison, spokesman for state Senate Democratic Leader Bill Lockyer of Hayward.

* SUPPORT FROM D.A.: Garcetti backs governor’s plan for prosecuting teens. B3