Bucking the data, more juveniles being charged, punished as adults
The juvenile criminal justice system has a decidedly different focus compared to its adult counterpart. When a young offender is sentenced as a juvenile, the court is not only concerned with the safety of the community, but also with concentrated efforts to rehabilitate the offender. The adult criminal justice system, on the other hand, relies on a more heavy-handed and punitive approach.
For serious juvenile crimes, more and more defendants are being tried in Circuit Court as adults if they are 14 or older. This can mean far more severe punishment, as well as denied ...

