AUTOCHARGING

BETTER FOR OUR KIDS

Charging kids as adults exposes them to increased isolation, physical violence, and sexual violence.

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Automatic charging also ignores definitive research that adolescent brains are rapidly developing and have yet to reach full maturity. Services and treatment in juvenile facilities are evidence-based and preventative. According to the U.S. Dept. of Justice, “intensive juvenile placements are relatively more beneficial than either adult prison or mild juvenile sanctions.”

BETTER FOR OUR COMMUNITIES

Youth charged in adult court are less likely to receive rehabilitative services, which makes them more likely to reoffend than similarly situated youth charged in juvenile court. Research overwhelmingly shows that charging kids as adults does not improve public safety.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice –”To best achieve reductions in recidivism, the overall number of juvenile offenders transferred to the criminal justice system should be minimized.”

MORE EFFICIENT

Between 2017-19, more than 87% of Maryland cases where a youth was charged in adult court did not result in an adult criminal conviction.

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The automatic charging process is expensive and time-consuming, wasting resources that could go towards violence prevention and rehabilitative services that actually reduce crime.

MORE EQUITABLE

Automatic charging is a serious racial justice issue. 81% of the children automatically charged as adults in Maryland are Black. Black youth are more likely to be sent to adult prison and receive longer sentences than their white counterparts for similar offenses.

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Implicit bias research shows that Black kids are more likely to be seen and treated as adults than white kids. The YES Act protects Black youth from discrimination.