Prosecuting children as adults a bad idea

I was glad to see that State Attorney Dave Aronberg has finally come to the conclusion that prosecuting children as adults is a bad idea (Feb. 2 op-ed, “We can improve juvenile justice while protecting public safety”), and that he has begun to reduce the number of kids he drags into the adult criminal justice system for nonviolent offenses such as theft.

Unfortunately, not all of Florida’s prosecutors are on the same page. Florida’s state attorneys collectively prosecute more children as adults than those in any other state. Since 2009, the state has prosecuted more than 13,000 children in the adult system, the majority for nonviolent crimes. Children of color are prosecuted as adults at a disproportionately higher rate than their white peers.

Fortunately, Aronberg now understands that the practice is bad for the kids and bad for public safety. Adult felony convictions brand kids for life, depriving them of the right to vote and standing in the way of getting a job, serving in the military, and receiving financial aid for college. They’re also more likely to reoffend than children who are held accountable in the juvenile justice system, where they are more likely to be put back on track.

I look forward to Aronberg supporting SB 192, introduced by Sen. Bobby Powell of West Palm Beach. Powell’s bill would bring much-needed reform to the system by involving judges in the process, holding prosecutors accountable, bringing consistency and transparency across the state, and, most importantly, reducing the number of kids prosecuted as adults.