Meeting the challenges posed by youthful offenders.

The Closing Plenary session of the 128th Congress of Correction in Detroit provided a thought-provoking discussion of one of the most difficult and pressing problems facing the corrections profession today - how to deal with youthful offenders. As newly appointed ACA President Richard Stalder said while introducing the session, "There is not a single element of corrections that does not have to deal with violent youthful offenders ... no segment of the profession has all of the answers."

John J. Wilson, deputy administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice, provided a statistical overview of the issue. He noted that youthful offenders today are younger and more violent than ever; there are more young female offenders; the racial makeup of offenders has changed; and the courts are imparting tougher sentences. "We know more today than we did five years ago about how to stop violence," Wilson said, adding that the budget for OJJDP has grown from $87 million six years ago to more than $511 million today. "Kids today are not different than they were 20 years ago. Society, however, has changed," Wilson concluded. "We cannot waive and build our way out of the problem. Skills and hope are the keys for these kids."

ACA Treasurer and Director of the North Carolina Division of Youth Services Gwen Chunn gave her perspective as a juvenile practitioner. She stressed how, over the course of her career, popular beliefs have changed regarding the proper way to handle young offenders. "Those on the adult custody side of our profession have a good handle on security issues," Chunn said. "At the same time, those of us in juvenile corrections have an understanding of rehabilitation and how to turn these young people into better citizens. Our challenge is to learn from one another to accomplish this task."

Chief Judge Henry Politz of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals reminded the audience that the more things change, the more they stay the same. He praised the profession for having the courage and wisdom to address such a tough issue that has no easy answers. "The corrections profession must make its voice heard by legislators and other decision-makers about what needs to be done," Politz said. "If that is the case, then there will he good times ahead."

The session was well-attended by members of the field involved in both adult and juvenile corrections. The audience left with the challenge to do more to learn from one another and to share the findings from research in their respective specialties.

James Turpin is ACA's legislative liaison.