The Arizona Republic found that nonviolent juveniles are more likely than violent youths to go back to prison within three years of their release. The study also found Arizona's nonviolent youth offenders serve 32 months on average -- twice as long as the national average.

"You can learn a whole lot more bad things in here than good," said Brandon Alcorn, 18, who served the first six months of his 4-year armed robbery sentence in the Minor's Unit.

The Republic reported that Arizona only mandates three hours of education a day for young offenders, and often fails to provide significant release preparation programs.

"A mad scientist couldn't have invented a worse approach," said Dan Macallair, executive director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice in San Francisco. "This is exactly what you shouldn't do."

Like many states, Arizona shifted from rehabilitation to punishment for juveniles in 1996 when Proposition 102 was passed.

The measure made it easier to send minors them to adult prison.

In the eight years since voters approved Proposition 102, there's been a 130 percent increase in the number of juveniles sent to adult prison; the state ranked eighth in the nation last year for the number of juveniles housed in adult prisons.

"To me, it is really clear that they have to be here," said Warden Charles Flanagan, who until recently oversaw the Tucson prison complex. "The risk or the danger is too great."

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who supported the proposition, agrees.

"If you're going to commit that type of crime," Arpaio said, "you should be tried as an adult."

Opponents of Proposition 102 still question it, saying the law took away judges' discretion and sent juveniles into adult prison who probably didn't need to be there.

The law did not provide for juveniles to return to the juvenile justice system for sentencing if their conviction was for a reduced charge that did not qualify for transfer.

Arizona Corrections Director Dora Schriro said she is in the midst of beefing up job training for juveniles, and the Minor's Unit recently started its first anger management support group.

"One way or another, when the time is up, they're coming out," Schriro said. "The pressing question is, 'When they get out, who are they going to be and how do we want them?"'

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On the Net:

Arizona Department of Corrections: http://www.adc.state.az.us/

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