To the Editor:

When I was young, I did some really foolish things; I even broke the law. I was lucky though; I was a white girl in a nice suburban town, and I didn’t end up in legal trouble.

Kids are impulsive; our brains aren’t fully developed until age 25, so teenagers aren’t able to think through the consequences of their behavior. Kids can learn, though, so we, the adults, need to think about what lessons we want them to learn. My parents’ punishments only made me more angry. What helped me change my behavior was seeing how my actions hurt other people.

The Connecticut Republican legislative proposal to fight car theft by children includes some good proposals; bipartisan legislative groups are already working on these initiatives. However, it would be a terrible mistake to go back to trying children as adults and punishing them by taking them out of their homes and communities and locking them in detention facilities.

If children who steal a car are locked up with other children who have committed crimes like car theft, what they learn from those around them is how to become a better car thief. When they’re released, they haven’t learned how to live in a family and a community, or to respect other people and their property. They only know how to function in an institution full of children with criminal behavior.

And if we put them through the adult criminal system, we’re teaching them to become hardened criminals. Does this make any sense?

We want our children to learn how to be good citizens, people who can contribute to our society. If we want to change their behavior, we need to help them understand that if they steal a car, there’s a victim who has suffered because of what they did. That’s why programs such as Restorative Justice (restorativejustice.org) are so effective in preventing recidivism.

We need to treat our youth as children; they’re not adults, and they’re capable of change. Let’s teach them to treat other people, and other people’s property, with care and respect.

Let’s not throw them in jail; let’s help them become good citizens.

Betsy Litt

Newtown