Quote:
Originally posted by PhiPsiRuss
I'm assuming that the sentences are different, and I'm refering to crimes like sexual assault. The recidivism rate is so piss-poor that I believe that those who are convicted should be locked up for as long as possible. If trying a rapist as a juvenile means that he'll be released sooner, then it affects public safety.
For crimes that don't affect public safety, and have a recividism rate that is more favorable than a coin flip, try the kid as a juvenile.
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Here's what I wonder, though -- and I've never done any kind of delinquency/juvenile law -- my understanding is that juveniles can be detained until they're 18. So they may be in custody for less or more time than someone convicted as an adult (that sounds like something John Madden would say) -- it's not necessarily true that they'd be locked up for less time.
However, I don't know that length of custody is the most important factor here. I wonder if being, say, 16 years old and in prison with adult offenders for a few years would actually do more harm than letting the kid out of a juvenile facility when he's 18. There must be studies on this somewhere, but I've never seen any.
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