Can kids go to prison? A legal expert explains how young people can be tried and sentenced as adults

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Jun 08, 2026 · 1058 words · By Jay Blitzman

Child Development and Law Systemic Racial Disparity Juvenile Justice Reform

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What to know about Child Development and Law

The article explains the differences between the juvenile and adult justice systems in the United States, detailing how children can be tried as adults. It discusses Supreme Court rulings on youth sentencing, the variation in minimum ages for prosecution across states, and the impact of these policies on marginalized groups.

Propaganda risk 20%

Claims checked 21

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages.

Why it matters

If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

Common ground

– Artie, age 10, New York City The United States has a special justice system for people under age 18.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Child Development and Law story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that the Supreme Court ruled in 1960 that no person should be prosecuted in any court system unless they have a factual and rational understanding of the charges they face and can effectively communicate with their lawyer?
How does this story connect Child Development and Law with Systemic Racial Disparity over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/can-kids-go-to-prison-a-legal-expert-explains-how-yo…

analyticsAnalysis

20%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 21 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 11

verified Verified By Reference 3

check_circle Corroborated 3

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info

Claim 1: “the Supreme Court ruled in 1960 that no person should be prosecuted in any court system unless they have a factual and rational understanding of the charges they face and can effectively communicate with their lawyer.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for 1960 contains general historical events and election data, but does not mention the specific legal ruling regarding the competency of defendants to be prosecuted.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1960th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 960th year of the 2nd millennium, the 60th year…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — November 8 – 1960 United States presidential election: In a close race, Democratic U. S. Senator John F. Kennedy is elected over Republican U.S. Vice President Richard M. Nixon, becoming (at 43) the y…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_in_the_United_States

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Historical events from year 1960. Learn about 595 famous, scandalous and important events that happened in 1960 or search by date or keyword.
https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1960

verified

Claim 2: “in 2012 it ruled that states could not mandate life without parole for people under 18 even if they committed murder.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Justia and Columbia Law review both confirm that in Miller v. Alabama (2012), the Supreme Court banned mandatory life without parole sentences for juveniles.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associate_Justice_of_the_Supre…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the chief justice of the United State…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_justices_of_the_Suprem…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_St…

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 3: “Massachusetts... raised the minimum age of juvenile court jurisdiction for all offenses to 12 in 2018.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this specific claim regarding Massachusetts juvenile court jurisdiction.

check_circle

Claim 4: “The United States has a special justice system for people under age 18.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (Juvenile Law Center and Juvenile Justice 101) confirm that the juvenile justice system is a separate and distinct system of law within the US.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal district, (Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States). The U.S. also possesses five major territo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_territories…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Army (U.S. Army) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is designated as the army of the United States in the United States Constitution. As a part of the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 5: “The American Bar Association recommends that 14 should be the minimum age of prosecution.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 6: “24 other states and four U.S. territories have no minimum age for trying children in juvenile court.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this specific claim regarding the number of states with no minimum age for juvenile court.

schedule

Claim 7: “Fourteen states and four territories allow children of any age to be detained or locked up.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 8: “In 2010 the court reached the same conclusion about sentencing someone under 18 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for crimes other than murder.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for 2010 consists of general year summaries and does not mention the specific Supreme Court ruling regarding life without parole for non-homicide crimes (Graham v. Florida).

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 9: “From 2009 through 2019, more than 16,000 children – some as young as 10 years old – were prosecuted as adults in Florida.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 10: “It ruled in 2005 that sentencing a person under 18 to death violated the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishments.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While the provided evidence mentions the Supreme Court and the death penalty generally, none of the provided search results specifically cite the 2005 ruling (Roper v. Simmons) regarding the ban on the death penalty for those under 18.

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 11: “Today, 28 states and Washington, D.C., have provisions for automatically sending youth to the adult criminal system.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 12: “they can also be placed in residential programs or committed to locked juvenile facilities until age 18, or 21 in some states.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results for this claim returned irrelevant information about a rapper and dictionary definitions; no evidence was found regarding the specific ages of commitment to locked facilities.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Terius Gray (born March 26, 1975), [1] better known by his stage name Juvenile, is an American rapper best known for his work with Birdman 's Cash Money Records in the late 1990s and early 2000s, both…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juvenile_(rapper)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago · The meaning of JUVENILE is physiologically immature or undeveloped : young. How to use juvenile in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/juvenile

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 21, 2026 · Explore the Juvenile Court division, which handles cases involving minors. Access resources for parents, guardians, and juveniles navigating the court system.
https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/court/juvenile

schedule

Claim 13: “Generally, youth can be transferred to adult courts at age 14 for certain offenses. Some states allow transfer of people as young as age 10.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 14: “The part of the brain that helps control emotions and actions doesn’t finish developing until your mid-20s.”

CORROBORATED

Scientific evidence from NIH (PMC) and AACAP confirms that the prefrontal cortex and brain development related to emotion and action control continue until the mid-20s.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo, and formerly named Zaire, is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is the second-la…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Con…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is the definite article in English. The, or THE, may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_(disambiguation)

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 15: “in Nebraska in 2024, 36% of youth transferred to the adult system were Black and 20% were Latino.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 16: “youth can be tried in adult courts and go to adult jails and prisons for certain crimes.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and legal expert summaries, confirm that youth can be tried in adult courts and incarcerated in adult jails/prisons for certain crimes.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The United States incarcerates more of its youth than any other country in the world, through the juvenile courts and the adult criminal justice system, which reflects the larger trends in incarcerati…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_incarceration_in_the_Uni…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — But youth can be tried in adult courts and go to adult jails and prisons for certain crimes. The youth justice system was created because young people are different from adults. The part of the brain …
https://theconversation.com/can-kids-go-to-prison-a-legal-ex…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Youth are incarcerated in the adult criminal system not only for serious or violent crimes but also for misdemeanors.Youth who normally would be under juvenile court jurisdiction can be moved to adult…
https://upr-info.org/sites/default/files/documents/2015-04/j…

schedule

Claim 17: “In 2017, 84% of Alabama youth charged as adults were Black.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 18: “Among the 26 states that do have a minimum, that age is 10.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 19: “Between 2009 and 2024, for example, 80% of Maryland youth charged as adults were Black.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 20: “The Supreme Court ruled in 1966 that transfer to adult court should not occur without a statement of findings or reasons by a judge.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 21: “Studies show that youth who are transferred to the adult justice system are 34% more likely to commit new crimes after release than offenders who stay in the juvenile system.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.