Allan Hales, a Utah County Republican running for the Utah House, has one solution for Utah's juvenile crime problem: adult-style punishment.
"Gang members shouldn't be treated as children. To pamper them and say they are victims of society is wrong," the 42-year-old father of seven said. "They should administer the same punishments to them. That would stop the problem."So would the death penalty for certain offenses. "Every execution saves 18 lives," Hales said. "Without (the death penalty) it's a blessing from the government that convicted killers are protected."
Salt Lake Democrat Steve Barth sees it a bit differently, saying the answer is not so much "lock them up and throw away the key." The answer, he said, is to address the family and social problems that foster juvenile crime problems.
"We can deal with it severely, but we need to get at those kids before they commit the crimes," he said. "We need to change the way society deals with it. We need to get into the families. I'm not talking about interfering with their home life, but a lot of parents could use the help and want the help."
Those two vastly different approaches to Utah's juvenile-crime problem reflect the broad philosophical between various candidates for Utah's House of Repre- sentatives. Some are lock-'em-up conservatives who believe juvenile offenders are being coddled by the system, while others are moderates or liberals who see the situation more in terms of social problems that can be addressed through education, career opportunities, strengthened families and aid to the poor.
The battle between moderates and conservatives in evident in both Republican and Democratic races. For example, moderate Rep. Nancy Lyon, R-Bountiful, is facing a tough challenge from conservative Ted Bradford. And conservative Rep. Clark Reber, R-South Jordan, is facing a challenge from former Rep. Lloyd Frandsen, a moderate. And conservative Rep. Russ Cannon, R-Sandy, is facing a newcomer backed by the teachers' union.
On the Democratic side, Rep. Ronald Greensides, D-South Salt Lake, was ousted in the county convention after a spirited campaign in which opponents said he was too conservative to be a Democrat. Ironically, that race now pits Loretta Marie Lourdes Baca, a moderate-to-liberal, against Glen W. Haner, a conservative Democrat.
The race Democrats are watching the closest is in Ogden where long-time incumbent Jack Arring- ton, D-Ogden, is being challenged by Betty Sawyer. While not considered too conservative, Arrington is considered vulnerable because of disparaging racial comments made last year and because he is not seen as representing the views of new Democrats.
The minority Democrats are watching Republican races even more closely than their own. "The real thing going on in the Republican primaries is where the Republican Party is going to go," said House Minority Whip Kelly Atkinson, D-West Jordan. "The party is divided between moderates and ultra-conservatives, and that could determine the influence we have."
If the conservatives win, Atkinson wonders whether a fragile coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans will survive, or whether the state is headed for more moral battles the Democrats are powerless to stop.
"My hope is they will elect more moderates instead of people way out on the fringes who don't care what it costs or whether (the legislation) is constitutional. We have not had a good track record in this state about having reason prevail on issues where Republicans want to make a moral statement."
House Majority Leader Marty Stephens, R-Farr West, agrees that primaries are based very little on actual issues. "Most Republican primaries are not about issues but about whether someone is perceived to be too conservative or too liberal."
"The interesting thing about primaries is that because of low voter turnout, a well-organized campaign can pull off surprises. Sometimes incumbents think they have it sewn up because of named recognition and somebody hungry can steal it," he said. "I will look at all of them because there could be upsets in any race."
The lower voter turnout minimizes the importance of actual campaign issues, although candidates have given plenty of lip service to not only the juvenile crime problem but education funding, transportation needs, openness in government, health care and tax cuts.