Should juveniles be tried as adults?

Former freshman David Dominguez, 15, allegedly left the SAC during 5A on May 31 and stabbed two freshmen during a fight in the Marvin Memorial Church parking lot. Dominguez has narrowly escaped facing adult charges that would have robbed him of chances for rehabilitation and increased his likelihood of committing further crimes.

Treating young offenders in a system meant for adults endangers young criminals, fails to deter youths from further criminal action and is racist. Juvenile and adult justice systems should implement a policy of segregated incarceration to avoid perpetuating injustice.

Placing juveniles in adult penitentiaries subjects children to violence and sexual abuse and robs the youths of a chance to start their lives anew. More than 21 percent of inmates younger than 24 report being hit or punched in jail, according to U.S. Bureau of Justice statistics. Juveniles languishing in adult prison have been wrenched out of society during their most formative years, and they are certainly not learning how to be law-abiding citizens by being abused by inmates three times their age.

Incarcerated teens step back into society having lost the chance for rehabilitation, and they often have no choice but to turn back to the only life they know—a life of crime. According to Bureau of Justice statistics, 72 percent of state prisoners under age 18 released from adult prison in 1983 were rearrested within three years; comparatively, 27 percent of state prisoners aged 30 or older were rearrested. Juvenile facilities rehabilitate youthful offenders and decrease the likelihood that the children will turn back to crime once they return to society.

This ineffectual system is also patently racist. In 1997, Bureau of Justice statistics show 60 percent of the youths entering state adult prisons were black, 19 percent were white, 13 percent were Hispanic and eight percent were other races. Once youths are arrested, reports the Justice Policy Institute, "nonwhite youths" end up in adult court two-and-a-half times more frequently than do white juveniles. Eliminating the option of trying children as adults eliminates the subjectivity that allows discrimination.

Maryland should join the eight states that currently have a policy of segregated incarceration. In these states, children convicted in criminal court can be sentenced to a program that separates children from adults. The youths remain in the program for the duration of their sentence, which may continue after they reach adulthood. Through the program, youthful offenders receive educational, vocational and life skills training as well as substance abuse treatment. Segregated incarceration offers rehabilitation that teens need in order to have a second chance in society.

The judicial system has a choice. It can continue to incarcerate children with adults—a choice that leads to high rates of rearrest and is blatantly racist—or it can implement segregated incarceration, an option that considers age and enables misguided youths to contribute to society.