trying youths as adults

1 Fact Sheet: Trying Youth as Adults What does it mean to "try youth as adults´? Since 1899, when a separate court for young people was created in Chicago, young people who broke the law were brought bef ore the juvenile court. In rare cases, judges decided wh ich youth were "not amenable to treatm ent" in the juvenile court. In these rare cases, the jurisdiction of the juvenile court was "waive d" and the youth were sent or "transferred " to the adult criminal court. In more recent years, states have passed a number of laws to expand the mechanisms in which youth may be prosecuted in adult court. How are youth "tried" as adults? 1 There are five major ways that youth can be prosecuted in adult court: Judicial Waiver 45 states allow juvenile court judges the discretion to have a youth's case tried in the adult criminal court. Direct File or "Prosecutorial Discretion" 15 states allow prosecutors the discretion to have a youth's case tried in the adult criminal court. Mandatory Waiver 15 states require juvenile court judges to automatically transfer a youth's case to adult cr iminal court for certain offenses or because of the age or prior record of the offender. Statutory Exclusion 29 states automatically require a youth's case to be tried in the adult court based on the age of the youth or the alleged crime or both. Age of Majority Statutes Three states²Connecticut , New York, and North Carolina²automat ically prosecute 16- and 17- year-olds as adults. Ten states²Georgia, Illinois, Louisian a, Massachusett s, Michigan, Missouri,

trying youths as adults

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