Career Criminals Courtesy of Your Elected Officials - The Juvenile 12 Point System

[Pastor LeClara In Atlanta]

Career Criminals Courtesy of Your Elected Officials - The Juvenile 12 Point System?

I recall a time almost 30 years ago when I arrived home after a long and tiring day on the job to receive a call that would jolt me into a world of reality. I had just gotten comfortable when the phone rang and a officer from the Georgia Department of Justice informed me that my son who was eleven at the time had been detained along with three more of his friends for breaking & entering an abandon house to play hooky from school. Of course I was pissed and politely told the officer I had no intentions of bailing his behind out. Officer Friendly said it would be in my best interest if I did because if I failed to do so I would be placed under arrest for child abandonment. At that time I became indignant, I was livid to say the least, I mean how da hell am I going to teach a child right from wrong if you are going to reward him for breaking the law I asked. The poor guy attempted to console me by saying he understood but pointed out that it was law so there was nothing he could do about it. Needless to say I picked myself up and carried my ass on down to juvenile to retrieve my son. You know it's pathetic when you consider that juveniles think being arrested is nothing more than a game of "Revolving Jail-house Doors'. They know that they will be out within hours after being incarcerated no matter what. There is also something called "The 12 Point System" which allows youth to commit so many crimes that by the time they reach their points quota they've become hardened criminals or reached the age of majority which makes them automatically responsible for their actions. I say it's time to put the "12 Point System" on lock-down and maybe then some of the crimes committed by our youth will cease.

**LeClara***

*** The following is a report conducted by employees of former Chief of Police of the City of Atlanta Beverly Havard. Things have since gotten much worst***

In Fulton County, GA (which includes most of the city of Atlanta), firearm-related homicide rates for 15- to 24-year-olds increased dramatically from the early 1980's to the early 1990's. Nonfirearm-related homicides, on the other hand, remained relatively stable. Firearm-related homicides during this time period accounted for nearly all of the murders in the city. Guns are readily available to juveniles in Atlanta, where it is reported that handguns can be purchased on the street for as little as $5.

In 1994, Atlanta's Project PACT (Pulling America's Communities Together) was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice. Project PACT is a consortium of Federal, State, and local agencies, and community groups designed to organize diverse community institutions and to empower them, individually and collectively, to use problem-solving strategies and tactics to create safer communities. Juvenile gun violence emerged as the top priority of this consortium. With funding from the National Institute of Justice, Emory University Center for Injury Control initiated a formal evaluation of PACT's efforts by obtaining baseline measures of the magnitude of juvenile gun violence in metropolitan Atlanta. In addition to the collection of quantitative data showing juvenile and adult firearm-related morbidity and mortality, a telephone survey of adults was conducted, and focus groups with high-risk and incarcerated youth were held to collect information about weapon-carrying behavior. Baseline data were shared with community groups, law enforcement officials, and juvenile justice officials and were used to develop the targeted interventions.

As a result of Project PACT, several Federal, State, and local agencies joined forces in a coordinated effort to reduce overall gun violence, with a particular emphasis on juveniles and young adults. The agencies involved in this initiative include the Atlanta Police Department (APD), ATF, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles, the Fulton County Juvenile Court, the Fulton County District Attorney, the Georgia State Department of Corrections (Fulton County Probation), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Emory University Center for Injury Control.

I can ask an adult to put a gun down, and 75 percent of them will do it, but a juvenile will not. The juvenile will fire it at me, or in the air, or flee with the weapon. His actions are much more fearless.

-- Thay Humes
Atlanta, GA, Police Officer