User:Shreed90/Juvenile transfer in the United States

Juvenile transfer refers to the process of trying, sentencing, and/or incarcerating youth offenders under the age of 18 in the adult criminal justice system. As many as 200,000 youth are transferred to the adult system every year in the United States. As opposed to youth in the juvenile system, youth charged as adults generally face harsher punishments and receive an adult criminal record.

Incarcerating Youth in Adult Jails and Prisons
Youth may be held in adult jails and prisons both pre-trial and after sentencing. On any given day in the United States, it is estimated that 7,500 youth are held in adult jails and 3,600 youth are held in adult prisons. The majority of youth held in adult prisons are likely to be released in early adulthood. Approximately 80 percent of youth convicted as adults will be released from prison before their 21st birthday, and 95 percent will be released before their 25th birthday.

Controversy
The process of transferring juveniles to the adult criminal system has triggered controversy since its institution. Although juvenile transfer laws have been tougher on youth offenders, there is debate as to whether they make communities safer. Research shows that youth who are transferred to the adult criminal system are more likely to re-offend than are youth who are kept in the juvenile system. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, youth who are transferred from the juvenile court system to the adult criminal system are approximately 34% more likely than youth retained in the juvenile court system to be re-arrested for violent or other crime.

Adult Court Jurisdiction
While youth charged with violent crimes can be transferred to adult court at a much younger age, every state has an age at which point an offender is automatically tried as an adult, whatever the charge may be.