NCJ Number
240552
Date Published
June 2012
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This report addresses national research and trends regarding youth in the adult criminal justice system, Ohio's laws on this issue, and recommendations for Ohio in responding to juvenile offenders effectively.
Abstract
Research increasingly shows that processing and sentencing youth in the criminal justice system and placing them in adult jails or prisons had adverse effects that are both long-lasting and harmful to youth. On average, research show that youth who are prosecuted as adults are 34 percent more likely to commit additional felonies than youth who commit similar offenses, but are processed and managed by the juvenile justice system. Ohio law currently allows children as young as 14 to be held in adult facilities, and children as young as 10 may be subject to criminal sanctions. This study describes the means by which Ohio youth come into contact with the adult criminal justice system. Data on youth who become involved in the adult criminal justice system in Ohio are scarce. One section of this report discusses the limited data available on this population of youth, as well as information on youth in Ohio's juvenile justice system. Many of the research-based youth programs specifically designed to help youth safely return to their communities have been integrated into Ohio's juvenile justice system; however, youth who are moved to the adult criminal justice do not benefit from these policies. The recent passage of Ohio's reverse waiver law is a first step for giving bound over youth an opportunity to return to the juvenile justice system. Recommendations are offered for improving the processing of youth in Ohio who could be placed in the adult criminal justice system. 10 figures and 61 notes