When a juvenile is charged in a crime, there may be extra steps taken to protect the accused and their family members, if they are legally considered a minor by the state in which the crime occurs. In cases of juvenile crimes, prosecutors in Wisconsin may choose to make an argument for trying the juvenile as an adult if they feel the person was old enough to know what he or she was doing, and what the consequences of his or her actions would be. Adult sentencing guidelines may be stricter than those for juveniles, and many minor may prefer being tried as a juvenile because of this.
After returning home from a dance recital with three of her children, a mother found her 4-year-old son dead in the family home. She then alerted emergency responders that her other two sons were missing, although officials later found one son dead during a complete search of the home.
The oldest son was located a few hours later, and was then charged with the stabbing death of his two younger brothers. Although no motivation was given for the attack, reports claim that the boy has spoken honestly with authorities about the incident. Prosecutors must now decide if the boy should be tried as an adult or as a juvenile.
When a juvenile commits a crime, the family may be more focused on the rehabilitation of the person, and may still believe that with enough help, the juvenile can live a productive life after an incident in which he or she committed a crime. Any juvenile facing serious charges for a crime may benefit from consulting an attorney to help fight for his or her future as they navigate the justice system.
Source: Huffington Post, “Teen brother arrested after 2 Utah boys, ages 4 and 10, found dead,” Paul Foy, May 23, 2013