There is a saying that goes something like “…there is nothing so powerful as an idea whose time has come..,” and we can only hope that is true of the growing recognition that we can do better than treat kids as if they were adults. As bright as they can be, as articulate as they can be, as creative as they can be AND YET as impulsive as they can be, as frustrating as they can be, and as self-centered as they can be, these contradictions reflect the reality of the teen years, even into early adulthood.

In a well-done summary by Jody Kent Lavy, titled Notion that “Kids are Different” Takes Hold in Youth Justice Policy Reform  and posted on the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange site, she highlights the growing consensus, across the political spectrum, that it is a mistake to treat youthful offenders as we treat adults. Citing changing perspectives from former “adult time for adult crime” advocates as well as recent rulings of the Supreme Court, she takes note that the pendulum to being “smart” on crime is overtaking the “get tough on crime” approach of the 1990’s.

It’s not so much that the ideas she articulates are new – but it is recognition of the momentum that is building that we can use to create change here in Wisconsin; change that will return most 17-year-olds to the juvenile system and enhance the prospects for long-term community safety.         by Jim Moeser