• About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Download App
  • Virtual Summit
  • Benefit Hub for Subscribers Only
SWHELPER | Social Work | Social Justice | Social Good
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • News
  • Culture
  • Mental Health
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Disability
  • Webinars
  • Podcast
Find/Post Jobs
  • Home
  • News
  • Culture
  • Mental Health
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Disability
  • Webinars
  • Podcast
No Result
View All Result
SWHELPER | Social Work | Social Justice | Social Good
No Result
View All Result
Home Social Justice Criminal Justice

Juveniles Transferred to Adult Courts Receive More Time for Their Crimes

SWHELPERbySWHELPER
April 7, 2019
in Criminal Justice, News
0
ADVERTISEMENT
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on PinterestShare via EmailShare on Reddit
A group of juvenile inmates sit as they wait to appear in courtroom. Photo Credit: Carl Juste / Miami Herald File Photo

Florida transfers juvenile offenders to adult court at a higher rate than any other state in the nation, and a new Florida State University study has found that those transferred are much less likely to be sentenced to incarceration than adults. However, those juveniles who are sent to jail or prison are given longer incarceration sentences. 

Peter Lehmann, a doctoral candidate in FSU’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, found transferred juveniles in Florida received up to 27.4 percent longer incarceration sentences than adults. His findings were published earlier this month in the journal Crime & Delinquency. 

“The juvenile transfer status of defendants might signal to adult court judges that these defendants are deserving of longer incarceration terms,” Lehmann said. “It is also possible that judges are concerned that the risk of reoffending among this population is high, and judges might view especially long incarceration sentences as an appropriate response that mitigates the danger these offenders might pose to the community.” 

This finding regarding sentence length is especially interesting in light of Lehmann’s other finding that juveniles are less likely to be sentenced to incarceration than adult defendants in the first place.  

“Judges may think that because transferred juveniles are still teenagers, they’re less blameworthy or culpable,” he said. 

In addition, it’s possible that some judges believe sentencing a youth offender to incarceration in an adult facility could pose ethical and practical challenges for the corrections system. 

Lehmann used data from the Florida Sentencing Guidelines Database, which is maintained by the Florida Department of Corrections. All offenders ages 14 and older at the time of the offense who were convicted of felonies and subsequently sentenced in the state’s circuit courts between 1995 and 2006 were identified. In all, using both juvenile and adult cases, the study population totaled more than 1 million defendants. 

“Having that many cases to analyze enables us to be more confident in our findings,” Lehmann said. 

The large data set is a unique aspect of the study, as is the time frame in which the data was collected. In the early to mid-1990s, there was a turn toward harsher policies in the juvenile justice system. Lehmann said expanding the data to include more recent years advances previous research on the sentencing of transferred juveniles. 

Lehmann’s study also examined how the mode of conviction affects sentencing. He found that offenders in trial cases were more likely than defendants who plea bargained to be sentenced to incarceration upon conviction. That was also true as it related to sentence length. Trial cases were associated with receiving longer incarceration terms. 

“Trials provide more information to judges than plea bargains,” Lehmann said. “That information can certainly impact sentencing. We find that various aspects of a trial, including public scrutiny and media attention, can make the difference between adults and juveniles in sentence severity weaker among trial cases than among plea cases.” 

States have recently begun to think about revisiting transfer laws, but Lehmann said it is important to continue studying this unique population of juveniles as well as how judges and prosecutors process information. 

“Broadly speaking, the findings in this study imply things that shouldn’t impact sentencing, like age, still do,” Lehmann said. “They imply that we have to explore different policies that address this issue because many in society tend to see it as a problem.” 

FSU’s Ted Chiricos, the William Julius Wilson Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, and Professor of Criminology William D. Bales co-authored the study with Lehmann. 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

Study Finds Trump Supporters Believe U.S. Society Is Fair

Next Post

Finding What’s Right with Children Who Grow Up in High-Stress Environments

SWHELPER

SWHELPER

SWHELPER is a news, information, resources, and entertainment website related to social good, social work, and social justice. To submit news and press releases email [email protected]

Related Posts

5 Ways To Boost Employee Wellbeing
Health

5 Ways To Boost Employee Wellbeing

January 7, 2023
What is High Performance Culture and How to Create It
Business

What is High Performance Culture and How to Create It

January 7, 2023
Morgan State University Professor Anthony Estreet to be next CEO of NASW
News

Morgan State University Professor Anthony Estreet to be next CEO of NASW

January 5, 2023
Sex Trafficking Survivor Files Lawsuit Against Red Roof Inns
Human Rights

Sex Trafficking Survivor Files Lawsuit Against Red Roof Inns

January 4, 2023
When Reporters of Sexual Harassment Are Silenced By Advocacy Institutions the Harm is Far Worst
Education

When Reporters of Sexual Harassment Are Silenced By Advocacy Institutions the Harm is Far Worst

January 3, 2023
How White Consumers Helped Drive Discrimination by Businesses
Economy

How White Consumers Helped Drive Discrimination by Businesses

September 21, 2022
Next Post

Finding What’s Right with Children Who Grow Up in High-Stress Environments

Two Out of Three U.S. Adults Have Not Completed an Advance Directive

Leave Comment
ADVERTISEMENT
What Can Be Done To Solve The Foster Care Crisis?

Ending the Therapeutic Relationship: Creative Termination Activities

June 24, 2022
What Feelings Are In Your Heart: An Art Therapy Exercise for Kids

What Feelings Are In Your Heart: An Art Therapy Exercise for Kids

June 19, 2022
Want to Work With Children: 5 Skills and Qualities You Should Be Working On

Want to Work With Children: 5 Skills and Qualities You Should Be Working On

April 7, 2019

Connect With Us

Twitter
FlipboardInstagram
ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram TikTok
SWHELPER | Social Work | Social Justice | Social Good

  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Buy Merch
  • Download App
  • Terms of Service

© 2022 Social Work Helper, PBC

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • News
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Politics
    • Criminal Justice
    • Social Work
    • Education
    • LGBTQ
    • Technology
    • Disability
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Webinars
  • Virtual Summit
  • Career Center
  • Download App
  • Subscriber Benefit Hub
  • Subscribe
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Cart

© 2022 Social Work Helper, PBC

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Facebook
Sign In with Google
Sign In with Linked In
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Sign Up with Facebook
Sign Up with Google
Sign Up with Linked In
OR

Fill the forms below to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.