About Juveniles Being Charged As Adults in Murder Cases
Juvenile courts handle criminal trials against minors (ages 10 to 18 generally). However, if an older juvenile is charged with a serious or violent offense such as armed robbery, murder, etc., the prosecutor can request that an adult court try the case.
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Legislation
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Many states also have passed laws that automatically charge juveniles in adult court when they commit serious offenses such as murder, rape or armed robbery.
Reasons For Trying Juveniles as Adults
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Proponents argue that young offenders tried in adult court will receive longer jail sentences that are proportional to the seriousness of their crimes. The threat of harsh sentences in adult prisons, in theory, will then result in lower juvenile crime rates.
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Reasons Against Trying Juveniles as Adults
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There is no evidence that trying minors as adults has lowered the juvenile crime rate. Instead, the practice may have increased the rate of recidivism.
Disparate Treatment of Minority Youth
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Numerous studies have shown that minority youth are disproportionately charged as adults in criminal cases. For example, the "Youth Crime/Adult Time" study found African-Americans were disproportionately tried as adults in felony cases within nine out of 10 jurisdictions.
Non-Violent Offenses
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In recent years, prosecutors have also begun to try minors as adults for non-violent offenses such as distribution of narcotics.
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