Young Offenders

Minors charged with serious crimes would be tried in open court, not in private, under legislation approved yesterday in the General Assembly.While critics say the legislation will do little to curb crime, proponents say it would focus needed public attention on Maryland's juvenile courts and direct the community's disapproval at young offenders, whose identities have been shielded.The measure would allow judges to close cases for "good cause," but proponents of the legislation said they expected that most proceedings would be open to the public.

In what would be a major policy change, court proceedings involving juveniles charged with serious offenses would be open to the public under legislation proposed by the Glendening administration and some lawmakers.While critics say the move would do little to curb crime, proponents say it would focus needed public attention on Maryland's juvenile courts and direct the community's shame on young offenders, whose identities have been shielded."Too often, the criminal and the system itself could hide behind the cloak of confidentiality," said Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who helped develop the proposal.

A spirit of cooperation in western Anne Arundel County has helped clear the way for the District of Columbia to open a program for nonviolent juveniles and young adults next week, district officials announced yesterday.Starting Tuesday, 25 juveniles will go through a monthlong, quasi-military boot camp at Forest Haven, the district's defunct mental institution complex off Route 198 in Laurel. The camp will be the starting point for the D.C. Superior Court's Urban Services Program, a yearlong pilot to help about 150 youthful offenders on probation.

West Anne Arundel County residents were angered yesterday to learn that a teen-ager who shot six people at a District of Columbia swimming pool last year and another accused of a double murder were among four who walked away Tuesday from a minimum-security youth center near Laurel.The four, who had been taken to Forest Haven for an educational program, were recaptured later in the day."They're not supposed to be in that facility," fumed Ray Smallwood, president of the Maryland City Civic Association.

In early August, four juvenile offenders fled in a friend's car from a halfway house operated by the District of Columbia at Forest Haven off Route 198 near Maryland City. But no oneinformed local officials.That shouldn't happen again under an agreement reached yesterday between District of Columbia authorities and civic leaders from Jessup, Laurel and Maryland City.District officials said they would add Forest Haven to an agreement drafted last March to cover the Oak Hill Youth Detention center, a maximum-security youth prison next door.

When the woman's teen-age daughter assaulted her and vandalized her Wilde Lake home about a year ago, she called police to have her only child arrested."

WASHINGTON -- It is the talk of the town. And, uncharacteristically, it has nothing to do with money, power or sex."Our issues this Sunday morning: Violence, children, crime, corruption and censorship," said Tim Russert on "Meet the Press.""Today on 'Face the Nation,' the subject is violence -- violence on the streets, violence on television," echoed Bob Schieffer."Welcome to 'Both Sides.' About one thing hardly anyone is taking sides: Deadly violence is a growing menace to all of us and many of us are afraid," pronounced the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson.

Correctional Officer Milton Bailey told the 11 visitors: "I know you think you're hard, but this 6-by-9 cell is the equalizer.""I know a guy who killed himself" in a cellblock, he said. "He couldn't handle it.Mr. Bailey was introducing the group of male teen-agers to the Howard County Detention Center in Jessup. The youngsters were court-ordered to tour the 175-person jail.The two-hour visit is part of the Juvenile Visitation Program, which began in October. Every third Wednesday, boys visit, and every other month, girls visit.

The Careers Center, Anne Arundel County's alternative sentencing program that teaches job and communications skills to troubled youths, apparently is facing its last days, even though it has been highly praised by juvenile system judges.County Executive Robert R. Neall will not reconsider his decision to slice the $333,660 program from his budget, spokeswoman Louise Hayman said yesterday.The program is a victim of a county budget squeezed by cuts in state aid and the reduction in revenue caused by the property tax cap."

A little more than two months before Cedar Knoll Youth Detention Center must close, more than 150 juveniles are still housed there, and judges continue to send offenders to the facility in Laurel.But District of Columbia officials, who run the prison that houses nonviolent offenders from Washington, said yesterday they will meet the June 1 closing date mandated by Congress."We're hoping that we can scale down," said Pat Balasco, head of the district's Youth Services Administration, which runs Washington's juvenile detention program.