Commissar SFLUFAN Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 I figured this board could use some genuinely positive news for a change! In historic shift, far fewer teens face adult US courts | AP News APNEWS.COM David Harrington spent a tense eight months in a Philadelphia jail when he was a teenager — the result of a robbery charge in 2014 that automatically sent his case to the adult court system under state law. Quote Data reported to the FBI each year by thousands of police departments across the country shows the percentage of youths taken into custody who were referred to adult courts dropped from 8% in 2010 to 2% in 2019. The percentage dropped to 1% in 2020, although that year’s data is considered unusual because of the coronavirus pandemic, which closed many courts. Instead, more teenagers are being sent to juvenile courts or community programs that steer them to counseling, peer mediation and other services aimed at keeping them out of trouble. The shift has been mostly supported by law enforcement officials around the country. But some worry that leniency has emboldened a small number of young criminals, including in Connecticut, where state lawmakers passed legislation to clamp down on youth crime. States around the country have been raising the age of adult criminal responsibility to 18 for most crimes. Only three states — Georgia, Texas and Wisconsin — continue to prosecute every 17-year-old in adult courts, according to The Sentencing Project, a Washington-based group that advocates for minimal imprisonment of youth and adults. The “raise the age” movement has been spurred by research showing teens’ brains haven’t yet fully developed key decision-making functions. Other studies show locking young people up in adult systems can be harmful — physically and psychologically — in addition to putting them at more risk to commit more crimes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 Either you're an adult or you're not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinIon Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 I wish the article had more info on what the impetus was for the change. Given that these decisions are made at a local level, I don't even think a federal guideline could drive such a shift. Is it simply a cultural change or was there some organized push? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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