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The Power of Truth

Laws that prosecute youth as adults are on the books in most states. These laws, combined with other statutes, are putting thousands of young people at risk of facing harmful and irreversible consequences, often for minor mistakes. Some researchers estimate that as many as 200,000 youth are prosecuted as adults every year. Despite overwhelming research demonstrating that these policies have failed, statutes that prosecute youth in the adult criminal justice system remain on the books.

Research shows that:

• An estimated 200,000 youth are tried, sentenced, or incarcerated as adults every year across the United States.
• Most of the youth prosecuted in adult court are charged with non-violent offenses.
• Young people who are kept in the juvenile justice system are less likely to re-offend than young people who are transferred into the adult system.
• Currently, 40 states permit or require that youth charged as adults be held before they are tried in an adult jail. In some states, if they are convicted, they may be required to serve their entire sentence in an adult jail.
• On any given day, nearly 7,500 young people are locked up in adult jails.
• On any given day, more than 2,000 young people are locked up in adult prisons.

        Student Paper Competition

The Campaign for Youth Justice is sponsoring its first paper competition for undergraduate and graduate students. In addition to a monetary award, the Campaign may publish the two winning papers as a policy brief, post them to our website, or circulate them in our monthly newsletter. Click here for more information.