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July 25,
2002
The
Honorable Herbert J. Exarhos
El Cajon Superior Court Dept. 11
250 East Main Street
El Cajon, CA 92020
RE:
Charles Andy Williams
Dear Judge
Exarhos,
This
letter has been prepared as an eleventh hour plea for mercy in
the sentencing of Andy Williams. We plead with you to please
consider using the authority you have vested in you to invoke a
variance from the guidelines of the law. This child can be saved
and rehabilitated to be a productive member of society.
As the
word spread after Andy�s June court appearance, you mentioned
the fact that time was of the essence and the law as it stands
currently needs attention for some changes. We are currently in
the process of mobilizing to go forth in this mission. We intend
to carry the word to the people of California that our children,
the only true resource this nation has for the future, must not
be abandoned in adult prisons.
We at
Child in Crisis, are joining together with other national child
advocate agencies to schedule a conference to set a national
policy to be pursued. There must be continuity in this country
for how we deal with our troubled youth. This nation established
a juvenile justice system many years ago. Now we are moving away
from the guidelines that were put in place to deal with young
offenders.
Granted,
Proposition 21 appealed to the general public because of the
growing fear amongst the population due to gang related activity.
As surveys have shown over the last months, there is an overall
feeling growing that the people did not truly understand what
they voted into law. Had a thorough reading been given to
the text of this, we don�t believe, even with gang related
fear, the people would have given their support. The ultimate
repercussion of this proposition has now trickled down to the
first time young offenders who are so often facing major
problems in their lives.
Over the
past months, we have continued to emphasize that a crime must
not go unpunished. We have continued to stress the need for the
juvenile court system to do the job for which they were created.
The Honorable James Milliken from right there in San Diego, who
sits on the juvenile
court
bench, has expressed his views of concern over children being
tried as adults. Police Chief Parks from Los Angeles is another
voice who has spoken against Prop. 21's guidelines.
Studies
are currently taking place as to the impact of placing children
in the adult penal system. Among the completed studies, the
findings are all in agreement with each other, IT DOES NOT WORK.
CHILDREN BECOME THE OBJECTS OF TORTURE AT THE HANDS OF HARDENED
ADULT CRIMINALS.
How can we
call ourselves a civilized society when we treat troubled
children in this manner? Proposition 21, as presented to
the voters of CA in March 2000, was based on lies. Several
corporations, that were hoping to use this opportunity to back
Presidential hopeful Pete Wilson and further their own political
gains, funded it. They traded children�s lives, and
children�s futures in their own selfish pursuit of political
clout. The consensus among the ranks is that he thought Prop. 21
would be his claim to victory in the crime fight in this
country. From all reports in the past, he has no children of his
own. He picked a group that does not have a strong voice on
their own behalf. The children became the sacrificial lambs.
We can not
give you the format of how we propose to re-do 21. We will be
working intensively on that project over the next months.
Anything we propose, will carry zero tolerance for acts of
violence against law enforcement and public service figures. In
turn, we will continue to hope that these officials will show
the respect of the citizens in regard to their law-given rights.
Inglewood is on everyone�s mind.
We will be
networking every agency from one end of this state to the other.
We WILL band together to share our ideas for how a revised Prop.
21, or possibly discarded and completely redone 21, will come
together.
This
letter will be placed on a worldwide site from Rome, Italy. We
are asking for the signatures of the people of this earth to
show solidarity and support. A conference will take place at the
Vatican in September over the subjects involving the treatment
of children. Communications with Pope John Paul over children in
the adult system is currently on its way to Italy.
Although
people from around the world share the same sentiments about the
young being tried as adults, at the level you as a Judge in this
state will address, it will ultimately be the people of
the state of California who must rethink their principles and
act to change the current law.
In
Solidarity With Those From All Walks of Life:
http://www.childincrisis.org
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the Community of Sant'Egidio
Abolitions, 
Andy
Williams was 14 when he and his father moved from his small hometown
in Maryland to Santee, California. But when he began attending his
new school his life became harder and harder. Actually he was
subjected for months to many and great humiliations by his peers and
bullies, who availed themselves of his particularly gentle and
simple temper.