COLUMBUS — Saying 10- and 11-year-old violent juveniles are too young to be jailed with older delinquents, Gov. Bob Taft on Friday ordered officials to instead place the youngsters in private treatment facilities.

        Mr. Taft signed a bill that subjects children as young as 10 to the Department of Youth Services, the state agency for youth offenders. Current law permitted incarceration starting at age 12.

        But at the same time, Mr. Taft signed an executive order directing department officials to contract with private agencies to house the youths and provide for their education and treatment.

        The order said such private housing is necessary “to treat these 10- and 11-year-old serious youthful offenders in a sensitive and humane way.”"

        Mr. Taft's spokesman, Kevin Kellems, said the governor issued the order instead of vetoing the entire bill because he favored parts of the legislation.

        In particular, the governor supported giving juvenile judges the ability to offer blended sentences, in which incarceration begins in the juvenile system and can extend to the adult system if the youth continues to commit serious crimes.

        “These children are the most impressionable and vulnerable juveniles who will be adjudicated to the department, and we are obligated to separate them from more hardened juvenile offenders and to provide them with appropriate treatment to address the problems that resulted in their delinquent actions,” the governor said.

        Senate President Richard Finan, R-Evendale, said he favored the bill because even very young juveniles should be incarcerated if they commit serious crimes.

        The bill says 10- and 11-year-olds convicted of the most serious felonies — such as murder, attempted murder or arson — could be sentenced to DYS, but stipulated that they be housed separately from other offenders.

        State Rep. Robert Latta, R-Bowling Green, said the bill was enacted to get some of Ohio's most violent juveniles off the streets.

        He said one judge testified during hearings on the bill about an 11-year-old arsonist.

        Under the old law, “there was nothing the judge could do until that individual turned 12 and committed another felony,” Mr. Latta said. “There is something wrong when we are waiting for another crime to occur before we can do something.”

        Mr. Latta added: “As long as there is someplace these children are getting treatment, that's what we want.”

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