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MADISON, Wis. -
The Wisconsin Public Defenders office is
criticizing a study by the right-leaning Heritage Foundation that
supports the idea of punishing juvenile offenders as adults.
About 16 people in Wisconsin prisons are serving life terms without parole for crimes they committed as juveniles. The foundation's study argues that the sentences are appropriate because the crimes typically involved murder, and that the punishments deter other teens.
But a spokeswoman for the public defenders office disagrees. Ellen Hirsch says other studies show that young kids' brains haven't developed enough to give them full control over their actions.
It's a debate that could eventually affect a 13-year-old Milwaukee girl, who's accused of fatally stabbing her step-grandfather last week.
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Information from: Wisconsin Public Radio, http://www.wpr.org
About 16 people in Wisconsin prisons are serving life terms without parole for crimes they committed as juveniles. The foundation's study argues that the sentences are appropriate because the crimes typically involved murder, and that the punishments deter other teens.
But a spokeswoman for the public defenders office disagrees. Ellen Hirsch says other studies show that young kids' brains haven't developed enough to give them full control over their actions.
It's a debate that could eventually affect a 13-year-old Milwaukee girl, who's accused of fatally stabbing her step-grandfather last week.
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Information from: Wisconsin Public Radio, http://www.wpr.org
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