SEATTLE - In 1978, the state of Florida became one of the first states to allow for juveniles to be prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system. Fast forward more than four decades, "The Sunshine State" is one of 13 states across the country that gives prosecutors the power to try juveniles and children as adults without getting sign-off from a judge.
A 2022 report by the Southern Poverty Law Center found that no state has prosecuted children as adults on felony charges as much as Florida has in the last five years, where 4,446 children have been charged with felonies in the adult system. And according to a Miami Herald investigation, when judges determine the penalties for those underage offenders, they give them higher sentences on average for felony crimes than older offenders.
