For almost an hour Tuesday, a contentious debate took hold in the D.C. Council: How do you strike the right balance when dealing with young offenders?
On one hand, it is a hallmark of juvenile justice to keep a young person's criminal record private so he or she isn't stigmatized for life.
But on the other hand, there is, as Councilmember Muriel Bowser put it, the public's right to know.
"The public has a right to know if youth walked out of a facility, if youth have repeatedly committed heinous crimes, violent crimes," Bowser said. "Let's face it, [it's] a heinous crime if you are walking down a street to get to your car, and you get a gun stuck in your face."
In the end, the council voted 8 to 5 to ease confidentiality rules if a juvenile is convicted of a violent crime. Basic information -- including the offender's name and charge -- would be publicly available.
Listen to the complete story at wamu.org
Copyright 2010 WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio. All Rights Reserved.
