Drugs Behind Youth Crimes, Senator Says
Drugs are at the root of many of the problems facing young people, said a Republican senator who is pushing legislation to strengthen penalties for law-breaking juveniles.
“Without question, illegal drugs are a terrible influence on our young people today,” Sen. Christopher S. Bond (R-Mo.) said in the weekly GOP radio address Saturday.
He cited increasing incidents of juveniles arrested for murder, rape and armed robbery.
“We need to ask ourselves why young people now are committing crimes that were once the province only of disturbed adults,” Bond said. “Something has crept into the psyches of our children. Too often they have become desensitized to violence and have learned to devalue human life.”
He called on Congress to pass laws ensuring more than a slap on the wrist for violent juveniles.
One such measure, the Violent and Repeat Juvenile Offender Act, would allow teenagers, ages 14 and up, to be tried as adults for the most serious federal crimes, such as murder, rape and armed robbery, Bond said.
Under the proposal, juveniles tried as adults receive adult records, which would be available to law enforcement officers, judges, prosecutors and school officials.
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