More Evidence that Falling Youth Crime is Unrelated to Use of Adult Court

by Kids Forward | March 19, 2012

Home 9 Youth Justice 9 More Evidence that Falling Youth Crime is Unrelated to Use of Adult Court ( Page 9 )

In a short research brief, Jeff Butts of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and one of the nation’s leading researchers on juvenile justice issues, concludes that there is simply no correlation between transferring or prosecuting youth in adult courts and the falling rates of youth crime. Titled Transfer of Juveniles to Criminal Court is Not Correlated with Falling Youth Violence, Butts utilizes a sample of states (based on validity and accessibility of data) to illustrate that any correlation between treating youthful offenders as adults and the decrease in youth crime is simply coincidence, refuting claims from some that transfer policies of the 1990’s have “been working”.

As we have noted in previous blog posting and our publication titled State of the Juvenile Justice in Wisconsin: What do we Really Know? youth arrests, secure placements, petitions, and waivers have all gone down dramatically over the past decade. This recent research lends credence to our conclusion that lowering the age of adult court to 17 in Wisconsin is unlikely, in fact probably not, the reason youth crime has gone down so dramatically.     By Jim Moeser

Join us to build a Wisconsin where every child and family thrives.

Recent

Language Access in Wisconsin

Language Access in Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s diversity is one of our greatest strengths. But when children and their families face language access barriers, they are often excluded from critical information and services, which can hinder their development and well-being.

Dia de los Niños (Children’s Day) Comes Back to Madison

Dia de los Niños (Children’s Day) Comes Back to Madison

Download as PDF Media Advisory Thursday, April 25, 2024 Contact: Emily Miota, 262-853-6863, emiota@kidsforward.org Families across the Madison area are invited to celebrate Dia de los Niños (Children’s Day), a cherished and traditional celebration that embraces the...

Los Derechos de Inmigrantes en Wisconsin

Los Derechos de Inmigrantes en Wisconsin

¡Únase con nosotros! Este evento es para todos los trabajadores que quieran aprender sobre sus derechos laborales. ¡Comida y bebidas! Sabado 11 de Mayo Chilton Public Library221 Park Street, Chilton, WI 5301411am - 1pmEn alianza con the Multicultural Coalition....

Sign up for Emails

Your address helps us identify your legislators and the most relevant messages to send you.