Local Context
Trying minor's in Cook County as adults destroys the community's social and a financial future. According to A study conducted by Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center, When looking at Cleveland, Chicago, and Houston people with felony convictions from Texas and Ohio were more likely to be employed within a short time of release or within 8 months, this is not true for Chicagoans. People who were in prison at the time of the study for the first time averaged at 17 years of age. People who were older, used illegal drugs after release, had a chronic physical condition, mental health condition, or had minor children* were more likely to not find a job soon after release (Employment after Prison: A Longitudinal Study of Releasees in Three States, October 2008). In connection to these finding A Literature Review from UCLA states that “66% of youth processed in adult criminal court had at least one psychiatric disorder and 43% had two more types of disorders … the prevalence of psychiatric disorders is particularly significant for transferred youth given that many adult correctional facilities are ill-equipped to provide adequate mental health care for juveniles.“ (The Impact of Prosecuting Youth in The Adult Criminal Justice System a Review of the Literature, 2010).When inmates are tried as adults they don't gain enough skills to go back into society and give to the community. If a child 15 years old get's a felony conviction and lives to be 70, that's 55 years with a felony conviction, if you are 35 with a felony conviction and live to be 70, that's 35 years with a felony conviction. In Cook County minors as young as 13 can be tried as adults under automatic transfers, these cases originate and stay in adult court and not in juvenile court.