Description:
For 20 years, states have expanded laws that allow for prosecuting juveniles in adult courts. Increasingly, these laws have permitted the trying of juveniles for more offenses and at lower ages. Few people noticed until Attorney General John Ashcroft cleared the way for Virginia to be the first to prosecute seventeen year-old accused serial sniper John Lee Malvo. Ashcroft said Virginia offered "the best range of available penalties." 46 states allow juveniles to be tried in adult criminal courts, Virginia however, also allows them to be executed. Is prosecuting juveniles as adults effective or appropriate and is it too common? Speaker(s):
Robert F. Horan, Jr., Commonwealth's attorney, Fairfax County, Virginia
Helen Leiner, private practice attorney, Fairfax, VA; member, board of directors, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)
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