Opening Statements
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.
