There’s a steady increase in the number of kids sent to adult court for violent crimes in Central Florida, where 600 teens were tried as adults last year. The Orlando Sentinel reports on the dilemma facing prosecutors and judges, who want violent offenders locked up in prison. While child advocates argue that exposing children to prison life is almost a guarantee they will reoffend.
A criminal justice professor points out a problem that may sound familiar:
“The increase reflects a system-wide conundrum when dealing with violent repeat young offenders: The juvenile-justice system — oriented toward rehabilitating children — offers few alternatives for punishing young offenders who pose serious threats to the community”