Answer to Question 1
Adult prisons are typically much bigger than juvenile facilities, so juvenile offenders can have a difficult time adjusting to prison life. Incarcerated juveniles are subjected to sexual victimization and sexual assault. Because adult prisons are designed for adults, there is not always age-appropriate programming available to youthful offenders. Youthful offenders have the desire to fit in, so they are highly impressionable and easily used and manipulated by adult offenders. Some are pressured to join a gang to feel a sense of belonging and security.
Answer to Question 2
State legislatures have passed laws permitting juveniles to be transferred or waived to adult court, where they can be tried and punished as adults. The majority of states will consider transferring a juvenile to the adult system at the age of 14 based on his or her offense. A judicial waiver is the most widely used transfer mechanism. It involves the decision-making process that begins when the juvenile is brought to intake. Statutorial exclusion is another way juvenile offenders can be transferred into adult court. Statutorial exclusion has a minimum age that youths must reach before they are transferred into adult court.
Unidentified Hemidactylus adult from Dindigul (Tamil Nadu, India)
Juvenile American alligator swimming, showing the distinctive yellow striping found on juveniles
A juvenile and a female torrent duck on the Urubamba River, Peru
Environmental Issues
Environmental Issues
Typical Night’s Sleep for a Young Adult