Less Juveniles are Being Charged as Adults

The New York Times put up an interesting editorial Sunday about the effort to quit sending non-violent juvenile offenders through the adult justice system:

“It has since turned out that most young people who spend time in jails and prisons are charged with nonviolent offenses. As many as half are never convicted of anything at all. In addition, research has shown that these young people are vulnerable to battery and rape at the hands of adult inmates and more likely to become violent, lifelong criminals than those who are held in juvenile custody.”

Is sentencing reform a good idea or do kids need to be scared straight? Sound off in the comments…

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The Editor

Fresh Meat: NYC Housing Erects Jail Themed Playground Equipment

Wow, talk about inappropriate – the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), which runs public housing in the city, has erected playground equipment marked “Jail” at the Thompson Houses in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

Check the pic after the jump.

(read more here http://www.citizenyc.com/)
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Posted by:

krysten

Will Pennsylvania Resident Jordan Brown Be The Youngest Person In The World To Serve A Life Sentence?

Not much goes on in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Located about 50 miles outside of Pittsburgh, the Lawrence County borough is home to less than 1,000 people, over 17% of which live below poverty level. In 2009, 11 year old resident Jordan Brown (pictured here, in a photo provided by Lawrence County Prison) was described as a normal “all-American boy”. He enjoyed local leisure activities such as football, riding bikes, reading Harry Potter books and hunting. A year later, Jordan, now 12, faces grown up charges with a possibility of life in prison without parole.

On February 20, 2009, 26-year-old Kenzie Houk was found lifeless in bed with a bullet from a 20-gauge shotgun through her head. She was eight months pregnant with a baby boy and a mother to two girls. Her boyfriend’s son, 11-year-old Jordan, was identified as the murder suspect and faces two counts of homicide, one including the unborn child.

Because the state of Pennsylvania offers no reprieve in convictions due to age, it’s no surprise that it has the highest total number of juvenile lifers. This means that Jordan could very well spend the rest of his life behind bars for a crime committed when he was a child. According to the University of Pittsburgh, if kept in criminal court and convicted, Jordan will be the youngest person in the world serving a life sentence.

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Posted by:

krysten