Last year, Colorado narrowed the authority of prosecutors to charge juveniles as adults, part of a wave of such laws nationwide. In a reversal of the tough-on-crime legislation that swept the nation in the late 1980s and '90s, nearly half of the states have now enacted one or more laws that nudge more young offenders into the juvenile justice system, divert them from being automatically tried as adults and keep them from being placed in adult jails and prisons. The number of young people put directly into the adult system in Colorado has dropped by nearly 85 percent and the rate of adult jailing of minors has fallen by 92 percent, with no increase in juvenile crime. "We gave more kids an opportunity to have a second lease on life," said Nicole Miera, whose brother committed suicide in a jail cell after being tried as an adult for a drunk-driving fatality.
Comments
Post a Comment