Gov. Mike Leavitt promised Utahns he'd get tough with young criminals. Monday, he said he plans to put $55 million where his mouth is.
"We intend to send a clear and resounding signal . . . If you're going to commit an adult crime, you're going to do adult time," Leavitt said at a press conference where he unveiled his $55.7 million budget proposal to combat juvenile crime.He called Monday's proposal the third step in his efforts to deal with youth violence. He said a special session of the Legislature in 1993 and last year's regular session were steps one and two, respectively.
In addition to proposing a serious youth offender bill that has the potential to send more teens into the adult system sooner, Leavitt is asking for money to build more juvenile detention and prison beds, another juvenile court judge and more probation officers.
The current juvenile system works well for 99 percent of the teens, Leavitt said. But 1 percent are violent, repeat offenders.
"We think this (budget proposal) will have a profound impact on that 1 percent," Leavitt said. That 1 percent amounts to about 185 teens, he said.
He said moving teenage criminals into the adult system will send a message to teens on the street that the state intends to punish them severely for violent crimes.
For example, an aggravated first-degree felony carries an average penalty of eight years in the adult system, Leavitt said. In the juvenile system, that same crime carries an average penalty of just eight months.
Youth Corrections Director Gary Dalton said the serious youth offender proposal is welcomed. Most of the teens Youth Corrections sends to secure facilities have an average of 15 misdemeanors and six felonies behind them, he said.
"Clearly, we have a very large percentage of violent, heinous crimes being committed by that 1 percent," Leavitt said. "We are responding with force."
The serious youth offender bill promises to send a juvenile to court if he or she is 16, has served time in a secure facility and commits any felony. A juvenile could go to the adult system for committing any one of what are being called "the nine deadly sins." They are crimes like aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, shooting from a vehicle and attempted murder.
Despite the amount of money Leavitt is asking the state to spend fighting juvenile crime, he warned that the problem won't be solved by more laws or more money.
"The roots of this problem are much deeper than legislation or appropriation," Leavitt said. "All aspects of the community must mobilize."