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March 17, 2005
Treating Youth as Adults Means They are More Likely to go to Prison
Study Examines Juvenile Justice System
By GREG SUKIENNIK
The Associated Press
Monday, March 14, 2005; 6:04 AM
BOSTON - Treating offenders under the age of 18 as adults in the criminal justice system makes it more likely they will re-offend when they emerge from prison, according to a national study of youthful offender laws.
The Coalition for Juvenile Justice, in a study titled "Childhood on Trial," said "adult time for adult crime" policies have failed.
The organization called for changes in state and federal laws. It hopes to restore the authority of juvenile court judges to determine if juveniles should be tried as adults and to hold the boundary between childhood and adulthood at age 18.
washingtonpost.com
The group said the judicial system's responsibilities are to give young offenders opportunities to make positive changes and set things right, while meting out punishment fairly.
"One way to do so is to ensure that juvenile offenders are provided with the rehabilitative services and resources generally available in the juvenile justice system - and to reserve the use of adult sanctions for those older, chronic juvenile offenders for whom the juvenile courts resources have been exercised and exhausted."
In 13 states, defendants over the age of 17 - or age 16, in Connecticut, New York and North Carolina - are sent into the adult criminal justice system for any offense.
The study said that in states with large numbers of youths in adult prisons, those youths are more likely to re-offend when they emerge from prison. It said teenagers in adult prisons are more vulnerable to adult criminals and are often mentored by powerful inmates, resulting in them being released as hardened, angry and possessing increased criminal skills.
The study was scheduled to be released Monday at Northeastern University. The authors said they chose Boston because lawmakers in three New England states - Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire - are considering changes to their youthful offender laws, while those in Massachusetts, where the age of adulthood is 17, are not.
Other states where the age limit is 17 include Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.
"New Englanders are quick learners," said David Doi, executive director of the Washington-based Coalition for Juvenile Justice. "They see from evidence in their states what has been shown to be true nationwide: 'adult crime for adult time' policies which sends hundreds of thousands of teen offenders into the adult criminal justice system each year have failed."
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On the Web:http://www.juvjustice.org
Posted by lois at March 17, 2005 06:29 PM