In Pennsylvania, people under 18 who commit crimes go to family court, where the approach is more rehabilitative and less punitive. Some policy experts advocate raising the family court’s age to young adults up to 25-years-old.
“Young adults are more similar to adolescents than fully mature adults in important ways,” wrote Vincent Schiraldi and Bruce Western of the Harvard Kennedy School in a recent column published in The Washington Post. “They are more susceptible to peer pressure, less future-oriented, and more volatile in emotionally charged settings.”
Additionally, they point to “disastrous” public safety outcomes resulting from drawing a line at age 18: “For example, 78 percent of 18- to 24-year-old released from prison are rearrested and about half return to prison within three years, the highest rescidivism rate of any age cohort.”
Spivak Law Firm handles all family law and criminal defense matters. We are routinely appointed to represent juveniles in Allegheny County. To schedule a consultation, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.