Jumping on the issue-of-the-moment bandwagon, Pennsylvania's chief executive has come through on his promise to get tough on crime. During his first day in office, Gov. Tom Ridge called for a special legislative session to focus solely on crime.

Ridge has promised to make his vague crime agenda more specific during today's General Assembly session. But some of his goals, such as an orderly process for implementing the death penalty, focus on punishment rather than prevention. Ridge and the rest of the General Assembly must concentrate more on legislation that will prevent and deter crime. Taking money out of prevention and transferring it to punishment is only a band-aid solution.

Ridge plans to tackle crime issues including the death penalty, juvenile crime, law enforcement, inmate work programs and violence in school. But his preliminary goals are reactionary, and he must avoid that trap when passing Pennsylvania crime legislation.

Ridge wants to develop an orderly process for implementing the death penalty, but he must not confuse an orderly process with a quick and easy one. The other issues deserve the same kind of scrutiny.

In working to prevent juvenile crime, Ridge must be careful not to follow the national trend of cutting education funding and then using it to punish juveniles after the criminal fact. Improving inmate work programs could be very beneficial, and are definitely something for Ridge to study.

Citizens who are concerned about crime must learn about its causes and effects for themselves, and not necessarily swallow everything politicians tell them. Just as Pennsylvania's legislators must avoid reactionary plans, their constituents must also carefully think through the crime issue.

During today's meeting, Ridge must remember that prevention is the answer to Pennsylvania's growing crime problems, keeping in mind that all of the sandbags in the world won't stop a flood.