What Happens When Youth are Transfered to Adult Courts? September 11, 2008
Posted by rickbarth in Uncategorized.trackback
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention recently released a review of findings that bear on the question of what happens to youth who have been caught up in the recent movement to sentence them to adult courts–ostensibly when they commit very serious crimes. The legislation that supports or requires these transfers, in many states, was intended to be a deterrent to such crimes and to reduce the recidivism rate. Although most states did not build evaluations into their legislation there have been a range of efforts to clarify whether the youth have had lower recidivism rates after arrest and transfer to adult court and confinement. The results do not follow the predictions of the legislators who and administrations that signed them into law. Basically, the studies show that transfer increases the likelihood of reoffending and of rearrest. The reasons are less clear but interviews with youth suggest that, in part, this is because some youth who remained in the juvenile services sector–often following crimes that were no more severe than those of their peers who were transfered to adult courts and incarceration–do not receive any educational or employment training. It also appears that this may result from their exposure to hardening conditions that make them less amenable to reintegration into society. We clearly don’t have definitive answers but it’s a good read. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/220595.pdf
I recently took a class that focused some on law. In the class we learnt about youth that could be automatically transfered to adult court. I do not know the facts or all the answers but I remember one thing. Our professor told us that there are some reasons why a youth might actually want to be transfered to adult court. The youth may want to be with their “buddies” that are in the “real jail”. Or the youth may know that if transfered to the adult system, the youth’s crime would appear small and therefore be dismissed.
None of this excuses or explains much. But it does give a little more info.
I really don’t know much about what is set in law, but what I do hear is alot of buzz about this. I believe that regardless of the jail/prison; once the juvnile is in “the system” they are more likely to return these days. I do agree with Ms. Herold in a sense that some juveniles think that it’s cool to see their “boy’s” when they go!
At the same referencing back to the origional topic: It doesn’t make since for a 15 or 16 yr old to be placed in an adult prison regardless of the crime. A state prison has far more access to gang violence, drug access and other miscellaneous acticvities that go on there. In a juvnile faciltiy it is less likely for them to be involved with those things, and thus decreasing the chances of them returning.
I would like for them to bring back the “scared straight” program. Now, that was a great tool that would certainly assist in decreasing those findings.