JUVENILE OFFENDERS: A PRICE TO PAY

The tragic death last August of 22-year-old Meredith Adams of Jackson was a loss that can never be replaced for her family, friends and community. In the days following the accident in which she died, the focus was turned to a 14-year-old boy who is said to be borderline retarded. The youth and a couple of companions stole a car in Tennessee, drove it to Cape Girardeau and tried to elude a sheriff's deputy at a high rate of speed. In the process, Miss Adams became an innocent victim, losing her life filled with the expectation of marriage.

In such situations, decisions have to be made by prosecutors and judges about whether to treat offenders as juveniles or adults. The difference is as wide as an ocean. Youths processed as juveniles can expect to return to a normal life by age 18 with no criminal record. However, youngsters who commit heinous crimes can be charged as adults, suffering the potential consequences of a prison term.

In this case, young Lannie Fowler will see both sides of the system. He was given a six-year prison sentence after entering a plea to involuntary manslaughter, but he was placed on probation in a juvenile facility with the provision the judge would send him to prison if he causes any trouble.

In heartbreaking cases, there are no easy answers. This is truly a case not only of heartbreak, but of outrage too.