Study Looks at Trying Juveniles as Adults
A panel of independent health experts appointed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has examined the effectiveness of strengthened laws that require the transfer of criminal defendants under age 18 to the adult justice system. The Task Force on Community Preventive Services, while acknowledging that "the rationale for the transfer of juveniles to the adult justice system is to deter future criminal activity," found that the "transfer policies have generally resulted in increased arrest for subsequent crimes, including violent crime, among juveniles who were transferred compared with those retained in the juvenile justice system." The Task Force report concludes that these transfer policies "do more harm than good."