There are numerous US criminal cases that raise the question of trying juvenile offenders in adult courts. Currently, almost in half of the states in the country, juveniles can be prosecuted and tried in adult courts. Pennsylvania is one such state, as there is no lower limit for the age someone can be charged as an adult with homicide. The 2009 case involving a double murder illustrates the numerous issues that take place in all similar cases.
In February 2009, state police found 26-year-old Kenzie Houk, who was eight months pregnant, in her bed with a bullet through her head. Jordan Brown, the son of the victim’s fiancé, is one of the youngest suspects in the country to be charged with murder. According to Heide (2021), juvenile murder arrests in the United States increased dramatically from 1984 to 1993, leading experts to forecast an epidemic of continued violence. Since then, numerous approaches and techniques have been tested to reduce juvenile violence. Nevertheless, they have not provided a highly efficient uniform framework that can assist in mitigating the issue.
A wide range of factors should be taken into account when realizing the reasons for such a severe problem in the country. Moreover, a dedicated analysis is needed to realize the effectiveness of the already existing programs and institutions aimed at reducing the risks of violent crime among juveniles. Furthermore, the issue of recidivism should be widely discussed, as preventing it has always been considered one of the primary goals of the institutions that work with juvenile criminals. A large number of evidence-based practices are to be considered when providing the best solutions that can help develop a uniform approach to the issue in all states.
References
Heide, K. M. (2021). Juvenile homicide in the United States: Sizing up the problem and moving forward. Homicide Studies, 26(1), 47–67. Web.