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The Youth Crime/Adult Time report reveals that, in the jurisdictions studied, many of the youth prosecuted as adults were charged with non-violent offenses, contrary to the public perception that youth are transferred only for the most serious offenses. However, out of the youth in the sample who were tried as adults and detained before trial, nearly two-thirds were held in adult jails.
"It is a national disgrace that we are taking a lot of young non-violent offenders - especially youth of color - and putting them in adult jails, where there are few - if any - programs to turn them around, and where these youth are placed at risk of serious harm," stated Ms. Hughes. Previous research has demonstrated that youth in adult jails are at significantly increased risk of physical assault, sexual assault and suicide.
Further, several prior research reports have documented that trying youth as adults is an ineffective strategy for crime reduction. Youth tried as adults have a higher recidivism rate than comparable youth tried as juveniles - youth tried as adults re-offend sooner and more frequently, and commit more serious new offenses.
"As this report demonstrates, when politicians adopt sound policies rather than sound bites, they will reject strategies - such as trying more juveniles as adults - that not only place our young people in jeopardy, but also make our communities more dangerous," Ms. Hughes concluded.
The National Network for Youth is a private, non-profit membership organization that for over 25 years has been dedicated to ensuring that young people can be safe and lead healthy and productive lives. For additional information, call the National Network at (202) 783-7949 or visit http://www.NN4Youth.org.
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