Youthful offenders have become the terror of many urban and suburban communities. We all know minors who have never been disciplined. Teachers, now deprived of corporal punishment, that was once used to maintain order, are frequently incapable of exerting control in our schools. Cultural pressure, that once tempered youthful behavior, is now virtually non-existent. Churches and family have less influence than they once did - especially in metropolitan areas.
Television seems to have much more influence on our young people.
Something needed to be done. Someone had to try to restore order - by putting teeth in the juvenile justice system. The Habitual Juvenile Offender Act was the legislature's answer. The trial court is denied all discretion. It shall send the youth to the department until age 21.