Morgue visit called reality check for juvenile offenders

Jeffrey Libby

Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2001 | 12:04 p.m.

Assemblyman Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, introduced a bill Tuesday that would allow courts to order juvenile offenders to view corpses at county morgues to provide them with a "reality check."

"With youth, death is a surreal experience," Nolan told the Assembly Judiciary Committee, outlining the negative effects of violent TV and video games on children's understanding of death.

"In a morgue, the smell is like no other. The rooms are cold and sterile. You don't have to see the bodies to know they are there," Nolan said.

A bill similar to Assembly Bill 174 was introduced in 1993 but failed.

Three juvenile offenders testified Tuesday -- in a simulcast from Las Vegas at the Sawyer State Office Building -- that their trips to the Los Angeles County morgue as part of a rehabilitation program provided a sobering eye-opener last year.

"I was in awe. I saw some pretty scary stuff," one youth said. "I saw bodies burned to a crisp, bodies shot with numerous bullet holes."

Nolan and others contend that this sort of exercise is not morbid, but constructive, and has worked well in other states. A representative from Mothers Against Drunk Driving said that anything that could reduce the number of repeat violent offenders was worth a try.

But Leonard Pugh, chairman of Washoe County Juvenile Probation Services, testified that such "shock therapy" has only short-term impact and little long-term benefit. He argued that many national studies backed him up.

Assemblyman Bernie Anderson, D-Sparks, who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee, also questioned the benefit of such programs.