“State commission: 17-year-olds should be charged as minors, not adults” @ Chicago Reporter

Posted on November 29, 2012

Angela Caputo — November 27, 2012: “Are 17-year-olds adults, or not? The answer is murky in Illinois.

If they’re the victim of a crime, 17-year-olds are considered kids. The same goes if they break curfew, are charged with a misdemeanor, like marijuana possession, or try to buy cigarettes or vote. But when it comes to felonies, the teens are adults. Period. That could soon change, though.

Members of Illinois’ Juvenile Justice Commission cleared the first hurdle Wednesday in amending the law by agreeing unanimously to recommend bumping 17-year-olds down to the juvenile courts for a vast majority of their felony crime convictions. Doing so would bring Illinois in line with most states across the nation; only 10 automatically transfer 17-year-olds to the adult courts…………………..”

Read more at Chicago Reporter.