NO MORE GAMES WITH JUVENILE CRIME

President Clinton has announced a major, $495 million program to fight juvenile crime. The biggest component of Clinton's plan is $200 million for state and local anti-gang prosecution initiatives. It also provides $60 million for 1,000 new after-school programs to keep kids off streets and $75 million for anti-truancy, school violence and crime intervention.

Republicans in Congress have proposed a $1.5 billion, three-year program against juvenile crime that offers incentives to state and local governments to punish the most dangerous, violent youths as adults. The president's initiative met with cautious optimism from key congressional leaders, including Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch of Utah. Hatch welcomed Clinton's speech, saying there is "substantial room for agreement in many areas" with measures he has already introduced. Missouri Sen. John Ashcroft is the main sponsor of the GOP measure on fighting juvenile crime and will play a key role.

It is to be hoped that this year's work can move us beyond dubious symbols such as midnight basketball toward real progress on juvenile crime.