On Gov. Bill Ritter’s desk, awaiting his signature, is a bill that would make it more difficult for prosecutors to charge juveniles as adults when they commit serious crimes.

The former Denver district attorney should veto the bill.

The bill, a much-amended version of the original legislation that was opposed by the state’s prosecutors, including Mesa County District Attorney Pete Hautzinger, does nothing to make communities any safer, and it throws yet more procedures into an already-overburdened criminal justice system.

The legislation, House Bill 1208, makes important changes to existing direct-file statutes, which allow prosecutors to charge juveniles as young as 14 as adults if they believe it is in the best interest of the community.

It allows a juvenile charged as an adult an opportunity to appeal that decision to a judge.

This provision requires a judge to hold a hearing, which simply creates more procedures in a system that already has too many procedures.

Among factors a judge must consider when deciding whether to send the case back to juvenile court is this: “The maturity of the juvenile as determined by consideration of the juvenile’s home, environment, emotional attitude and pattern of living.”

We can hear the violins already. Poor Johnny, he was himself the victim of a non-nurturing household, so why should he be held responsible for any crime he might commit?

Prosecutors need every tool they can get. Changing the direct-file statutes to make it easier for a violent teen to be tried in juvenile court does nothing but make prosecutors’ jobs tougher — and communities less safe,

Gov. Ritter, veto this bill.