Hunter Demands Criminal Accountability in Jena 6 Case

ABC News’ Mike Chesney Reports: Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., stood apart from his Republican presidential rivals at a Thursday debate on issues of concern to minorities by demanding criminal accountability for 17-year old Mychal Bell, an alleged perpetrator of a recent, high-profile beating in Jena, La.

"If in fact, the young man was kicked in the head while he was unconscious, there has to be accountability for that. And that is clearly criminal accountability," said Hunter. "I don’t know what particular divisions between juvenile and non-juvenile courts are being made in this case, but there must be accountability."

Panelist Juan Williams, from National Public Radio, had asked the candidates about how they would handle inequalities for Black and Latino Americans in the judicial system.

"As young black and Latino Americans are watching this debate, they often feel quite alienated from the Republican Party, a party that does not seem to respond to their issues," Williams started. "The one area of these problems touching on federal government policy has to do with criminal justice. Today, in Jena, La., it was announced that one of the Jena 6, originally convicted as an adult, will be tried now as a juvenile."

"Name one reform," he continued, "that you would endorse to assure young black and Latino people in America that they will have equal justice in America’s courts."

Rather than offering reforms of the criminal justice system as five of his G.O.P. rivals did, Hunter emphasized the need for criminal accountability. When pressed in a follow-up question by moderator Tavis Smiley to offer a systemic reform, Hunter demurred and instead offered an endorsement of the American jury system.

"Juries, obviously, are blemished in many ways and are not perfect," said Hunter, "but a jury trial under the law is, I think, the best system of justice on the face of the Earth."

Bell faced a maximum 15 years in prison after being tried and convicted as an adult last month for aggravated second-degree battery. Now that he is being tried as a juvenile, he cannot be given a sentence which extends past the age of 21.

Asked following the forum if he supported Bell being tried as an adult, Hunter did not state a position, saying instead, "I haven’t seen all the facts," before reiterating his general support for some form of criminal accountability in this case.

Thursday’s All-American Presidential Debate Forum, which took place on the campus of an historically black college in Baltimore, was skipped by four leading contenders for the G.O.P.’s presidential nomination: former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, and Arizona Sen. John McCain