Look to Missouri for Juvenile Justice Reforms
After reading two recent articles regarding juvenile justice in The Times, I have one question: Could someone please tell U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) about Missouri (“Spare the Rod, Save the Child,” July 1)?
It is clear to me after reading the June 25 article regarding [co-sponsor] Feinstein’s federal Gang Prevention and Effective Deterrence Act that what she proposes is more of the same regarding how we deal with juvenile offenders, and that is the problem. What we currently do doesn’t work.
The July 1 article, however, illustrates a system of care for juvenile offenders in Missouri that is effective and part of the solution. It works. If Feinstein is truly opposed to babies being killed in cribs, as she says in the June 25 article, perhaps she should ground her initiative in the principles forged in Missouri rather than rhetoric that sounds tough but will only serve to help her get reelected while having little, if any, effect on juvenile crime.
Tom Moletteire
Los Angeles
Thank you for your beautiful and inspiring story about Missouri’s enlightened juvenile prison system. It demonstrates that the “Show Me State” is living up to Harry Truman’s motto: “The buck stops here.”
Roberta Gillerman
Los Angeles
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