Sheriff Joe on Juveniles Committing Adult Crimes

The terrorists at Gitmo should be considered for Sheriff Joes Prison, instead of Obama dispersing the Islamic Jihad all over the world like theyve done no wrong. December 13, 2001 PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Our Sound-off this morning, should kids be tried as adults? In Pensacola, Florida, brothers Alex and Derek King, ages 13 and 12, are charged with first-degree murder in connection with their father's death. If convicted, they could get life. The case has once again called into question laws regarding juvenile offenders. Should they be prosecuted as adults? ARPAIO: Well, I tell you one thing, they committed an adult crime, so they should be tried as an adult, and the people of Arizona passed a law three years ago: you commit rape, murder, drive-by shootings, you go to jail, my jail, I have 170 in the jail waiting to go to trial, and if you're convicted, you do the time. You do the time just like an adult. I don't think the victims' loved ones care what the age is. You know, it's just the way it is, and we can argue this. He can argue that, but once again, you commit a serious crime. You know, in the past, you're released at 18 years of age. You murder someone, you're gone at 18, these juveniles. You're records are sealed, they're expunged. That's garbage. You commit that serious crime, you have to pay the consequences. I had one kid that's 13 in jail, waiting to go to trial for murder, but he surviving in my jail. I have the toughest jail in the nation, but I have no problems with these kids in the jail. ARPAIO: Well, I don't know about that. I guess you could say that with adults too, but if you commit a crime, you should pay the consequences and you should be punished for that crime. Father Flanagan, I believe a Boy's Town years ago, they said there is no such thing as a bad kid. Well, I have to disagree. There are a lot of bad kids out there that commit vicious crimes, and put them in jail, and when they're convicted, put them in prison, and I don't have any problem with that. I'll be the first one in the nation -- or in the world, to put juveniles on a chain gang. We are the first ones with the females, but I'm sure I'll take a lot of criticism on that. But, once again, our crime rate has gone down, except for the juveniles. The vicious crimes committed by juveniles, and we have to do something about it. The people of this state and states across the nation are fed up. They pass laws, and juveniles should be tried as adults and that's the way it is. ZAHN: Sheriff, would any of those juveniles in your system be -- have access to any kind of treatment? These kids, after all, came from an extremely troubled background. ARPAIO: Well, while they're eating my green bologna sandwiches, and they do get drug prevention programs. We had the first high school in a jail system in the nation for these juveniles. First high school, so we take care of them. They eat the same menu. There are no menus different for kids versus the adults, but once again we're surviving. I don't have any problems with these juveniles in my system. None whatsoever.