Ever since 2001, when California voters passed Proposition 21, prosecutors have had the option of trying juveniles charged with a felony in adult courts without having a judge review the cases first. The reason, say advocates, is that this allows courts to issue longer sentences for egregious crimes like murder. (At present, youths sentenced in juvenile court can only be kept in prison until age 25.)
Ever since 2001, when California voters passed Proposition 21, prosecutors have had the option of trying juveniles charged with a felony in adult courts without having a judge review the cases first. The reason, say advocates, is that this allows courts to issue longer sentences for egregious crimes like murder. (At present, youths sentenced in juvenile court can only be kept in prison until age 25.)
According to a recent report by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, vast disparities exist in the way the state’s 58 counties use the option. In Ventura County, for instance, about 12.2 percent of juvenile offenders are likely to be tried as adults. In contrast, just 0.15 percent of juvenile offenders in San Francisco are likely to be tried as adults.
Statewide, the average is about 2.5 percent. In Santa Cruz County, the figures are slightly higher, at about 3.1 percent—in spite of the fact that the county’s juvenile hall is recognized nationwide for its innovative approach to juvenile justice, with its focus on programs to foster the offender’s physical, emotional, and intellectual development.
According to the report, trying juveniles as adults does not act as a deterrent. Though juvenile crime is down statewide since 2001, the counties most likely to try kids as adults saw juvenile crime rates fall at a slower rate. “Prosecutor predilection towards direct adult criminal court filing is not founded upon any demonstrable effect of reducing juvenile crime rates,” the report said.
Sending juveniles to jail is also expensive—about $50,000 a year. Budgetary constraints may soon change how California chooses to handle its juvenile offenders. As of last month, state youth prisons have been directed to stop accepting most juveniles sent to them by the counties. This means that many of these young people will end up being sent to the state’s overburdened adult prison system. The question is whether the taxpayer can afford that. Read more at <a href=" http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_18793948″ title=”Santa Cruz Sentinel”>Santa Cruz Sentinel.
