Balancing Safety, a Kid’s Best Interest

Amid statistical indications that violence at school is declining overall, recent shootings--nationally and in the San Fernando Valley--have raised new questions about appropriate punishment for kids who bring guns to school.

In Los Angeles County, juveniles caught with guns on campus are more likely to receive harsher sentences than ever before, according to a Times study of court records. Even so, most offenders avoid confinement. And although arrests declined during the latter half of the 1988 to 1997 study period, in more than half of the nearly 1,900 cases reviewed, the offender was arrested again before turning 18.

With the findings in mind, VINCE KOWALICK asked area residents how severely young offenders should be punished.

PAUL VINETZ

Deputy probation officer, L.A. County Probation Department, Burbank Outreach Center

The probation department’s policy when a child has brought a gun onto campus is to detain that child in juvenile hall until they go to a hearing before a judge. What we do professionally is investigate the case to determine what the appropriate course of action should be.

We deal with children as individuals. What is their social history? What are their grades like? Are they in a gang? All of these issues are addressed when preparing a sentencing recommendation to the court. When a judge sees it, he may say: “There is an explanation for this. It’s a criminal offense but it does not rise to the level where they need to be incarcerated.”

The department treats it extremely seriously. If individuals pose such a threat that they need to be removed from the community, we have a variety of dispositional options. If they have had possession in the past, or they’ve been contacted by the police two or three times in a gang-related context, the judge might say, “Now you’ve been caught with a loaded .357 Magnum in your backpack. It’s time we do something with you.”

Probation officers are mandated to recommend the least onerous penalty whenever possible. I’m a huge believer that probation works. There are cases in which kids should not have to face a court and be dealt with on that level. Most people who get arrested don’t re-offend and most people on probation are successful in completing their grant of probation in the earliest possible time.

JOAN ELAM

Principal, Monroe High School, North Hills

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You can’t have an exceptional educational program unless you have safety. If you start giving too much latitude with something as serious as carrying a weapon, what kind of message does that send?

We’ve got 4,300 students on this campus and I’ve got 400 employees. We’re here to protect all of them. Therefore, it is really incumbent upon us to maintain a message that the consequences are serious if we find anybody with a weapon on this campus.

We do everything possible to make sure all of our young people know the consequences. We’ve got things like signs that say, “Save a Life, Tell Somebody.” We put out a newsletter strictly on safety issues. We counsel them on everything from weapons to [truancy]. If we have done our job in keeping them informed as far as the consequences, then if we do find somebody [with a gun], we go to the max to be able to protect the people.

JAMAR CARGO

17; senior, El Camino Real High School, Woodland Hills

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At our school, they have really high security and they’re really strict. They have a zero-tolerance policy toward violence. One fight and you’re expelled. I know there are [at least] a few kids carrying weapons.

I think if they feel they’re old enough to bring a gun to school, they’re old enough to handle the consequences and they should be tried as an adult. They should do time in jail and maybe community service. I don’t think it should matter what the weapon is. Any weapon. It’s school. Weapons are the last thing that should be on someone’s mind.

There needs to be more done. With just probation, it makes people think that it’s a light punishment and they still feel they can get away with it.