Juvenile justice system needs further reform; participate in democracy, don’t deter it | READER COMMENTARY

Juvenile justice system needs further reform

As the General Assembly began its 2024 legislative session on Wednesday, there were a number of issues involving criminal law that Carroll County will want to keep a close eye on. More specifically, laws related to juvenile justice will be at the forefront.  It seems that a day does not go by without a story on juvenile crime and an increase in juvenile crime in the Baltimore metropolitan area.  Unfortunately, crime trends in the Baltimore metropolitan area reverberate in Carroll County.

The past few years, the General Assembly has passed several changes in juvenile law that have done nothing but increase juvenile crime.  Included among these are changes to the law that no longer charge juveniles under the age of 13 with crimes other than the most serious criminal offenses.  Police are now required to not only contact parents, but attorneys as well, before questioning a juvenile in custody.  The Department of Juvenile Services is no longer required to notify the state’s attorney’s office of all felonies committed by juveniles; it can choose to handle certain felonies “in house.”  And, even when a juvenile can be held responsible for a criminal act, for all but the most serious criminal offenses, juveniles can only be supervised for a total of six months.

The primary goal of the juvenile system is to rehabilitate juveniles and to have juveniles remain in the community.  The best way to protect our community from juvenile delinquents is to rehabilitate them before they become adult offenders.  However, not every crime committed by a juvenile should be handled through rehabilitation of the juvenile.  The criminal justice system should also consider the rights of the victim and the possibility of an individual being a danger to the community.  The most violent criminal offenses committed by juveniles require a more balanced approach.

We need juvenile justice reform that doesn’t allow violent juvenile offenders to escape consequences for their actions. Rather, it should hold those offenders responsible and offer protection to the community.  The juvenile reform passed during the most recent legislative sessions didn’t prioritize consequences but instead allowed for coddling.  In other words, juvenile justice reform needs to be reformed.  Let’s hope the 2024 legislative session reverses that trend.

Allan Culver

Culver is the senior assistant state’s attorney at the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office

Participate in democracy, don’t deter it

I spent the morning of Jan. 6, 2024, participating in a training session designed to bridge the political divide that is wreaking havoc on my beloved nation. I wish to get to a place of better understanding with all my fellow citizens and resolve to work to that end going forward.

That being said, I cannot ignore my reignited grief this past week as I have watched retrospectives of that horrible date, Jan. 6, in 2021.  That grief is now complicated by attempts to rewrite the narrative of the insurrection by so many of my fellow Americans.

I have learned that a monument to the Jan. 6 victims has been erected in Lakeland, Florida. But it is not a monument to the more than 140 police officers who were battered, bruised, and worse that day. Instead, supporters of a trio of fugitives from the law are honoring the violent insurrectionist who was killed as she attempted to enter the chamber where our elected leaders were doing the people’s business by ensuring the peaceful transfer of power.

Some elected leaders and candidates have begun referring to those who have been convicted and imprisoned for breaching our Capitol, as “hostages.”  Having received due process in a court of law, these people are nothing more than criminals.  To call them anything else is an insult to our fundamental system of justice.

I am grateful that just as our election system worked as it should, our judicial system continues to do the same.  Of the 1,200 people charged with violent crimes to date, more than 900 have already pleaded guilty or been convicted. Of the more than 60 lawsuits that questioned election results, all have been adjudicated and found to be baseless. In addition, the many public servants and companies who have been victimized by baseless lies and threats of violence are getting their day in court.

As we enter an election year, I look forward to participating in yet another free, fair, and inclusive process. I urge my friends and neighbors to volunteer so that you may see firsthand how our system continues to work.  Volunteer for a candidate or a party. Contact our local Board of Elections about being a poll judge. Be a participant in our democracy, not a deterrent.

Corynne B. Courpas, Westminster

Courpas is the chair of the Carroll County Democratic Central Committee

Media pushes false narratives on Trump, Clinton and Biden

The Jan. 5 edition of the Carroll County Times included two articles pushing false equivalencies about former president Donald Trump. On page 1 was a story headlined, “Files shed light on Epstein’s abuse,” and subtitled “Trump, Clinton listed among names in unsealed records.”  What those newsworthy records said about the two and their relationships with Jeffrey Epstein and the abused victims he trafficked, the article failed to reveal, except for inuendo. However, in a deposition, trafficked Epstein worker Johannna Sjoberg testified, “Clinton likes them young,” referring to girls. The Associated Press article somehow omits that, saying only that among the famous people mentioned in the documents were “Donald Trump and Bill Clinton … according to the accounts of [Epstein’s] victims.” What did these victims have to say about Trump? Ms. Sjoberg said “No” when asked, “Did you ever massage Donald Trump?” He is only mentioned one other time, when a witness discussed plans to visit a Trump-owned casino.

Then on page 2 was   an article from the New York Times headlined, “Foreign nations paid Trump $7.8M.” Their slant is that this somehow is equivalent to the Biden family peddling influence and collecting millions of dollars from around the world through shell companies.  The article fails to mention the 170 Suspicious Activity Reports, or SARS, issued by six banks noting how the Biden shell companies provided no identifiable products or services rendered in exchange for the vast millions of dollars accepted by Biden family members. According to PBS, banks issue SARs when they “detect a transaction with possible links to money laundering, counterfeiting, fraud or illicit finance.” Trump on the other hand possesses vast property holdings. The article later admits that the foreign income Trump received covered expenses at hotels in Washington, Las Vegas, and New York. In other words, Trump had legitimate businesses that were profitable. The article neglected to say if banks had issued SARS on Trump, but if they had, it surely would have been mentioned.
In order to bring Trump down to the level of Clinton and Biden, the press is busy pushing these and other false narratives of equivalence.

Curtis Roelle, New Windsor