[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 73 (Tuesday, June 9, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1077-E1078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN APPRECIATION OF JUDGE AARON COHN

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                            HON. MAC COLLINS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 9, 1998

  Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my most sincere 
congratulations to and appreciation for Muscogee County Juvenile Court 
Judge Aaron Cohn.
  Columbus, Georgia, which falls within the boundaries of Muscogee 
County, shares many of the juvenile crime problems faced by cities 
around the nation. Drugs, gangs, and violent crime are serious 
challenges that parents, teachers, and law enforcement officers are 
forced to address every day. When the efforts of these individuals fall 
short, however, we rely on the juvenile justice system to assist 
troubled youth and to protect our communities.
  Boot camps are one approach that has proved particularly effective in 
Muscogee County. While some federal bureaucrats have suggested that 
boot camps are too severe a punishment, Judge Cohn's use of the program 
has been a very effective ``last resort'' for some of the area's most 
difficult cases. I congratulate Judge Cohn for utilizing successful 
local approaches to juvenile crime such as the boot camp program.
  Boot camps are not, however, Judge Cohn's only approach to the 
juvenile crime problem. Judge Cohn understands that every child 
represents a unique set of circumstances and is in need of a 
personalized approach. I am sure I speak for many Muscogee County 
residents in expressing my appreciation for Judge Cohn's sensitivity to 
the needs of both children and the communities in which they live. The 
``tough love'' that he provides the children of Muscogee County is 
saving taxpayers millions of dollars in future adult correctional 
costs, providing a safer environment for all children in their schools 
and neighborhoods, and insuring that even the most difficult children 
are given a fighting chance to succeed in life. Thank you, Judge Cohn, 
for your love of children and for your dedication to the communities of 
Georgia.

 A Few Words With . . . Aaron Cohn Muscogee County Juvenile Court Judge

       Monday's paper carried a story that said more than 16,000 
     juveniles have been sentenced to boot camps since the program 
     began four years ago. As juvenile judge, what is your 
     assessment of that program?
       I think it is a wonderful program for some children. 
     Juvenile justice has to be individualized justice: One kid 
     may react better to probation than to incarceration; another 
     kid may require incarceration. It's not an exact science. You 
     just never know sometimes.
       One thing we do know: I don't think you can mix 11-year-
     olds with 15- and 16-year-olds. If the kid is real young I 
     try to steer away from boot camp.
       But with the boot camps, we're dealing with children who 
     would never know what the word ``discipline'' is. And most of 
     the kids going there, the ones we're sending there, are kids 
     we've adjusted, we've talked to them, we've done everything 
     we could to avoid it.
       I think the first year, we may have led the pack (in boot 
     camp sentences) for all I know. But we used it only as a last 
     resort, based on the type of offense the person has 
     committed.
       What have the results been, in your experience?
       The program does work for lots of people. It's like a 
     baseball game--some you win, some you lose, some get rained 
     out. Not every program works with every child, but they'll 
     get something from this program.
       I read the article saying the feds think it's a bad program 
     . . . I don't know about any child who's been mistreated. I 
     do know one thing--you couldn't just get some drill 
     instructor at Parris Island. He'g got to have tough love, but 
     not so he just scares kids to death.
       It's a good plan, but sometimes you may have the wrong 
     person in there. You can't get away from the human equation.
       What kind of youthful offender most benefits from a 
     military program of that kind?
       I like a child to be around 15 years old or older. We as a 
     general rule do not send the 11- and 12-year-olds because 
     they haven't even reached the age of criminal responsibility.
       The bad part is that in any of our work, we can take a kid 
     from a home that has no discipline, that's so fragmented and 
     dysfunctional the family can't handle him. So even after we 
     send him (to boot camp), what does he come back to? The same 
     home, because we don't have enough foster homes, group homes 
     to take care of him.
       If we save one kid, if we turn him around, we save 
     taxpayers about $250,000. You pay now or you pay later, and 
     if we can get him early enough where he doesn't go into the 
     adult system . . . it's the only place we're

[[Page E1078]]

     going to save them is in the juvenile justice system.
       The thing we have to do is make sure there's no favoritism, 
     because not every child is treated alike. Some have a good 
     support system, some have no support system.
       You walk a tightrope. I want what's in best interest of the 
     children, but we have to protect our friends and neighbors in 
     the community.
       There's nothing wrong with that program as long as it's 
     handled right.

     

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