When Is a Juvenile No Longer a Juvenile?

A new bill before the Massachusetts Legislature would change how 17-year-olds are tried and sentenced. When it comes to incarceration, Massachusetts has recognized 17 as the age of adulthood since 1846. Of course, anyone who has a 17-year-old might question that assumption, as have citizens in 38 states across the U.S. Even some states we think of as far more conservative than Massachusetts—Arizona, Alabama, and Mississippi, for example—send lawbreakers younger than 18 to juvenile instead of adult court...

Read more...