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Should teen be tried as adult, judge to decide

Media Outlet: 

Philadelphia Inquirer

On June 30, 14-year-old Winston Charleston took three buddies joyriding, tried to outrun a state trooper and crashed into a Volkswagen Jetta, killing Daniel Fouracre, 22. In Pennsylvania, juveniles between ages 14 and 17 are automatically charged as adults for certain felonies. Temple psychology professor Laurence Steinberg, who co-wrote the book Rethinking Juvenile Justice, said that trying a teen as an adult "may be appropriate in a small number of cases, but only for repeat, violent offenders who are at least 15 years old." "So, this boy would not qualify, in our view," he said of Charleston.