Juvenile Justice

Cases Dropped for 115 R.I. Teens; No Probable Cause Hearings

A new—and short-lived—state law in Rhode Island that put 17-year-olds in adult court was constitutional, a judge says. But because teens didn’t get probable cause hearings before being “referred” to superior court from family court under the legislation, Superior Court Judge Daniel Procaccini dismissed felony charges against 115 teens whose…

Feb 6, 2008 6:45 PM CST

Authorities Say Lawyer & Family Slain By Son, 15

A 15-year-old Maryland teen allegedly shot his father, mother and two younger brothers to death as they slept, then spent more than 12 hours with his friends before calling 911. Among those found dead in the suburban Baltimore home over the weekend is attorney John Browning, 45, who was a…

Feb 4, 2008 10:50 PM CST

Bail Denied to 16-Year-Old Under Rarely Applied Canadian Provision

A Canadian judge has denied bail to a 16-year-old girl accused of inciting her boyfriend to murder a 14-year-old rival under a rarely applied rule intended to preserve public confidence in the administration of justice. The unnamed teen will not be released prior to trial even though she could be…

Jan 25, 2008 1:48 AM CST

Tough Call: How to Charge Boy, 12, in Tot’s Killing

Florida prosecutors are now deciding whether to charge as an adult a 12-year-old babysitter who has been accused of murdering a 17-month-old second cousin left in his care. Because Shaloh Joseph wouldn’t stop crying as the unidentified preteen was trying to watch a cartoon on television, he allegedly hit her…

Jan 8, 2008 12:00 AM CST

Veteran Prosecutor Takes On City’s Worst Juvy Offenders

A veteran prosecutor in Tennessee known nationally for her victims’ rights advocacy is shifting her energy to prosecuting Nashville’s worst juvenile offenders. For 51-year-old Kathy Morante, the new direction in her prosecutorial career has been a challenge, the Tennessean reports. “It’s already been very frustrating,” Morante tells the paper. “There’s…

Jan 2, 2008 7:50 PM CST

Lawyers Ask Supreme Court to Overturn 30-Year Sentence for 12-Year-Old

Lawyers are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a 30-year sentence given to a 12-year-old boy convicted of killing his grandparents. The cert petition for Christopher Pittman argues the sentence is “unconstitutionally disproportionate as applied to a 12-year-old child,” the Associated Press reports. Pittman is represented by lawyers from…

Dec 18, 2007 4:41 PM CST

Bell Gets 18 Months in Jena 6 Plea Deal

One of the Jena 6 defendants has agreed to a plea deal in juvenile court that apparently will require him to serve little additional time, after spending much of 2007 in jail. A conspiracy charge has been dropped and Mychal Bell, 17, will plead guilty to a second-degree battery count,…

Dec 3, 2007 11:58 PM CST

Plea Deal for Jena 6 Teen?

A 17-year-old who has been imprisoned for much of this year in a controversial Louisiana case that has sparked massive civil rights protests may be close to a plea deal. Mychal Bell, who was originally charged with attempted murder in an alleged attack with five other black students about a…

Dec 3, 2007 4:15 PM CST

Report: Recidivism Higher for Youth Offenders Tried as Adults

Children tried as adults then housed in adult prisons are more likely to become repeat offenders than youths who remain in the juvenile justice system, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Since the 1980s and 1990s, laws have pushed more juvenile offenders into the adult…

Nov 30, 2007 6:54 PM CST

La. Judge Opens Entire Jena 6 Trial

Responding to a lawsuit filed by multiple media organizations, a Louisiana judge decided today to open to the public all trial proceedings in the case of Mychal Bell. The Jena 6 teen is to be tried beginning Dec. 6 in juvenile court for his role in an alleged group attack…

Nov 21, 2007 9:40 PM CST

Rape Defendants: 3 Boys, 8, 9 and 9

In a case that is sure to be controversial, three boys in from a working-class Acworth, Ga., neighborhood have been charged in the alleged kidnapping and rape of an 11-year-old girl who reportedly is one of their regular playmates. “The victim said they were playing outdoors and the girl was…

Nov 20, 2007 12:19 AM CST

FBI Hate Crimes Stats Soar; Noose Use Not Counted

Hate crimes rose significantly in 2006, up nearly 8 percent in that one year alone, according to the FBI. “Police across the nation reported 7,722 criminal incidents in 2006 targeting victims or property as a result of bias against a race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnic or national origin or physical…

Nov 20, 2007 12:01 AM CST

Judge Opens Jena 6 Juvenile Trial, Citizens March on DOJ

Responding to a legal action initiated by multiple media organizations, the Louisiana judge in an upcoming trial of one of the Jena 6 defendants says he will open Mychal Bell’s trial to the public. However, that did little to mollify angry citizens who marched today on the Justice Department in…

Nov 16, 2007 11:04 PM CST

Boy Who Started Calif. Fire Won’t Be Charged

A 10-year-old boy who admitted starting one of California’s devastating fires last month will not be charged. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement there was no evidence the boy intended to start the fire, the Associated Press reports. The blaze was sparked by the boy…

Nov 14, 2007 3:59 PM CST

Boy Admits to Playing With Matches, Starting Wildfire

A boy has admitted he started one of the California wildfires after playing with matches, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s police. The blaze, one of 15 major wildfires, destroyed 21 homes. It is not clear if the youth has been arrested or if his parents will be held financially…

Oct 31, 2007 2:28 PM CDT