The Connecticut state senate voted last week to restore juvenile status to 16 and 17 year old offenders. Currently, teens in this age group are charged in criminal court as adults.
If the Connecticut House passes the law, only New York and North Carolina will automatically charge 16 and 17 year olds as adults. Other states provide mechanisms to waive juveniles to adult status.
Kansas allows children as young as ten to be charged as adults. Teens over thirteen are presumed to be tried as adults for serious offenses. Missouri may prosecute children as young as twelve in adult court for felonies.
The Connecticut bill reflects recent research proving that juvenile brains remain physiologically underdeveloped. During their teen years, children are still developing the capacity to think ahead and make sound judgments. Additionally, they lack the wisdom gained from experience.
Juvenile offenders placed in adult jails are more likely to reoffend, according to data released last month by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Nearly two thirds of juveniles tried as adults are dealing with personal trauma, such as rape, assault, death of a loved one, or suicidal tendencies.
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