By the Numbers

22 states

The number of states where 7-year-olds can be prosecuted, sentenced and incarcerated as adults for certain crimes.

2 states

The number of states (Florida and Pennsylvania) where 7-year-olds can receive a mandatory sentence of life without parole.

703 children

The number of children, age 12 and under, judicially transferred to an adult court between 1985 and 2004.

Source: “From Time Out to Hard Time: Young Children in the Adult Criminal Justice System,” Michele Deitch et al, University of Texas at Austin.