Juveniles Charged As Adults
The question of whether minors should be treated as adults has been a debatable issue for many years. Research shows that a person’s brain is not fully developed until age 21, and as a consequence a juvenile may have poor impulse control and the inability to fully understand consequences.
The Gang Violence and Juvenile Crime Prevention Act
In the 1990s, with juvenile crime rates rising, federal lawmakers saw a need to change the way juveniles were treated when they committed serious crimes. The Gang Violence and Juvenile Crime Prevention Act of 1998 was passed in 2000 despite much controversy. Minors committing violent or serious crimes, including gang-related crimes, could now be charged as adults instead of juveniles. The court based their criteria minors to be tried as adults on certain criteria including previous rehabilitation attempts, degree of criminal offense, and the circumstances surrounding the offense.
Minors as young as 14 can be tried as adults if the crime they commit is murder, gang-related crimes, certain sex offenses and repeated offenses.
Arizona Juvenile Defense Attorney
If your child has committed a crime in the greater Phoenix Arizona area, it’s vital to contact JacksonWhite Attorneys at Law to schedule your free consultation with criminal defense attorney, Jeremy Geigle. Learn more about juvenile criminal defense in Arizona by visiting our Web site.