NEED REPLY IN 12 HOURS or LESS

Look up your state's statute (law) pertaining to the minimum criteria for a juvenile waiver, and share with your colleagues the youngest age at which a person could be charged for any criminal act. Do these rules seem reasonable in the context of holding a young person accountable for the full extent of his or her actions? Make an argument to your colleagues about why you made that determination. 

PLEASE REPLY TO MY CLASSMATE RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE QUESTIONS AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE? (A MINIMUM OF 125 WORDS)                 

                                    CLASSMATE’S RESPONSE

In the state of Maine, no minimum age is present in the law to try a juvenile for a crime or transfer the juvenile case to adult court. (NJDC). So, in theory and while unlikely, it is possible for a two-year-old to be charged for a criminal offense under Maine law. The current law in place also states that once a case is transferred to adult court it will stay in the adult system and cannot be sent back to juvenile court (NJDC). 

As a law enforcement officer, I am for strict sentences for juvenile and accountability for one's actions. I feel that in Maine a state law with no minimum age or recourse to transfer a case back to juvenile court does not make any sense. I am not against trying juveniles in adult court, but if mitigating circumstances exist that present a clear argument for a case to be sent back to juvenile court then that should be the case.

I would argue these current laws could create more juveniles in prison or jail going through the adult system. This is not a good thing because juveniles in adult jail learn to do adult crimes and make a career out of crime. The juvenile court could provide more of a focus on rehabilitation while also focusing on safety and accountability as well.