Neither society nor the system should give up on any single kid

Juvenile justice has little mass appeal.

No political race has ever been won or lost based on a juvenile justice platform. So, members of Hawaii’s juvenile justice community are pleased the public is discussing the issue.

Nationwide, troubled kids are pushed into the background. Kids who commit crimes do not pull at the public’s heart strings. There is little sympathy for these young people with many in the public seeing them simply as smaller versions of adult criminals.

But, even though we must take their actions seriously, we also must realize they are not mini adults they are kids. Their brains are still developing and they sometimes have little control over their own lives.

Remember, kids don’t get to choose their parents. They don’t decide on their own DNA so critical a determinant in their lives. They don’t choose their families. They don’t choose where they live. They don’t choose their neighborhoods. They don’t decide on their early childhood experiences, which clearly have profound effects on their lives as adolescents. They don’t decide on the level of nurturing they receive as children. Every decision is made by an adult. So their failures are far too often our failures.

This session, there are several legislative proposals being considered that will ensure Hawaii addresses these failures in the right way. House Bill 2489 would appropriate funds to the Family Court Division of the Judiciary and the Office of Youth Services (OYS) to reduce juvenile delinquency recidivism through evidence-based practices and mental health and substance abuse treatment programs; House Bill 2490 would enhance our state’s juvenile justice system by concentrating secure bed space on serious juvenile offenders.

These bills related to juvenile justice are simply that justice for our at-risk youth, their families and their communities. I am not minimizing the impact of their acts on those who are victims public safety is the cornerstone of sound public policy. Our youth must be held accountable for their actions, which may include incarceration if the circumstances dictate such.

But understand these kids are victims, too. They are victims of abuse, trauma and too-easily-available addictive drugs and alcohol. They are victims of social media, of bullying, and of a complex world changing so fast that few of us can keep up. They are victims of a highly sexualized marketplace, of a world full of conflict, discrimination and greed. They are plagued by mental health and substance-abuse issues.

Arguably, in spite of the odds against them, every one of these young people has the potential to live a healthy and productive life. Neither society nor the system should give up on any single kid. Treatment and rehabilitation for young people actually works, and the evidence to support such is overwhelming. Their deep wounds can be healed, but that is a process that must begin early and proceed with full force.

Is there a price tag attached? Absolutely, but the price of not doing so is significantly higher.

Investing in these youth when their troubles first surface is an investment in their futures, as well as ours. Guiding our troubled youth toward becoming productive adult citizens will have an exponentially positive impact on joblessness, homelessness, crime and the costs of our state’s array of social services, including halting the cycle of child abuse and domestic violence.

This is not a "soft on crime" stance. Nor is this just about saving money. It is about saving lives and families, and restoring our communities, something our state can accomplish with HB 2489 and HB 2490.