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hogsucker t1_j0uv98x wrote

Reply to comment by MrsToneZone in Stand your ground vs Duty to retreat by LaunderMachine

I would take any legal opinions of cops with a huge grain of salt.

Why wasn't the car thief charged as a juvenile simply because he was a juvenile?

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MrsToneZone t1_j0uvnt0 wrote

Correct. The state’s attorney reinforced that to us.

And for some crimes, the accused is automatically charged as an adult. In those cases, the defendant is entitled to a waiver hearing in which they can be waived down to juvenile court which has implications for sentencing and criminal record.

In our case, the defendant was automatically charged as an adult. The magistrate provided those reasons for his decision to waive the accused down to juvenile court.

This ends up happening in most cases that involve a juvenile, short of 1st degree murder or cases in which the victim is a member of law enforcement.

Source: I worked in the juvenile justice system for a few years after this happened.

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hogsucker t1_j0wodpl wrote

I look askance at adults who think it's okay to treat children as adults...As long as the adult really, really wants to. I wonder how the legislators who pass those kinds of laws feel about age of consent rules.

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