Are We Too Tough on Kids Who Commit Crimes? States take new look at push to charge juveniles as adults

Sharon Cohen:

A generation after America decided to get tough on kids who commit crimes – sometimes locking them up for life – the tide may be turning. States are rethinking and, in some cases, retooling juvenile-sentencing laws. They’re responding to new research on the adolescent brain and studies that indicate teens sent to adult court end up worse off than those who are not: They get in trouble more often, they do it faster and the offenses are more serious. Some states are reconsidering life without parole for teens. Some are focusing on raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction, while others are exploring ways to offer kids a second chance, once they’re locked up – or even before. "There has been a huge sea change...it’s across the country," said Laurie Garduque, a program director at the MacArthur Foundation, which is heavily involved in juvenile justice reform.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at December 9, 2007 12:00 AM
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