A 17-year-old was arrested this week on suspicion of fatally stabbing another teen at a Frisco ISD track meet. He can\u2019t buy alcohol, guns, lottery tickets or tobacco, vote, enlist in the military or serve on a jury, but he can be tried as an adult in Texas.<\/p>\n
The teen, who faces a murder charge, has yet to be indicted. Murder, a first-degree felony, carries a punishment range between five years and life in prison.<\/p>\n
At 17, kids accused of crimes are adults in the eyes of the state\u2019s justice system: They are automatically tried in adult courts, face adult sentences and are imprisoned with adults.<\/p>\n
Texas\u2019 age of responsibility dates back more than a century. In 1918, the age was raised to 17 \u2014 for the more than 60 years prior, it had been 9. Before that, the republic, in 1836, established 8 as the age of responsibility for crimes.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear why 20th-century lawmakers picked that age. Today, Texas is one of three states that treat 17-year-olds like adults, according to the Interstate Commission for Juveniles. The \u201cage of majority\u201d \u2014 or when most states recognize adulthood \u2014 is 18.<\/p>\n
Legislators have repeatedly tried in recent years to raise the age \u2014 in step with nationwide trends to reform juvenile justice \u2014 to no avail.<\/p>\n
Related: Grief mounts at Frisco\u2019s Memorial High after third student killing this school year<\/p>\n
Texas\u2019 law is based on the suspect\u2019s age at the time of the crime, not their age at trial. Children as young as 14 can be tried as adults with a judge\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n
A child can be charged with capital murder, which is usually punishable by death or life in prison without parole, but the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that it is unconstitutional to impose the death penalty for a crime committed by someone under the age of 18.<\/p>\n
The high court found that children\u2019s less-developed brains make them less culpable for crimes. The justices later ruled that life-without-parole sentences were cruel and unusual for anyone under 18.<\/p>\n
Related: Frisco ISD student fatally stabbed at high school track meet<\/p>\n
Ahead of the nation\u2019s highest court, Texas also abolished mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles. Someone younger than 18 at the time of a capital offense is automatically sentenced to life and may be eligible for parole.<\/p>\n
Legislators have introduced bills in at least the last five sessions to raise the age of criminal responsibility. Advocates say 17-year-olds are not mature enough to be in the adult justice system, while opponents worry about overcrowding the state\u2019s juvenile lockups.<\/p>\n
At least two bills aimed at amending the age this session remain in committees.<\/p>\n
The Texas justice system’s treatment of 17-year-olds as adults has been a topic of debate for many years. While some argue that this approach is necessary to hold young offenders accountable, others believe that it is unfair and ineffective. As the state continues to grapple with this issue, it is essential to consider the potential consequences of trying and sentencing minors as adults.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the age of responsibility in Texas?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: In Texas, the age of responsibility is 17. This means that 17-year-olds are considered adults in the eyes of the justice system and can be tried and sentenced as such.<\/p>\n Q: Can 17-year-olds be tried as adults in other states?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: Yes, but only in two other states besides Texas. Most states consider 18 to be the age of majority and treat 17-year-olds as juveniles.<\/p>\n Q: What are the potential consequences of trying and sentencing minors as adults?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: Trying and sentencing minors as adults can have severe and long-lasting consequences, including lengthy prison sentences, limited access to education and job opportunities, and increased risk of recidivism.<\/p>\n Q: Are there any efforts to reform the Texas justice system’s treatment of 17-year-olds?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: Yes, there have been several attempts to raise the age of responsibility in Texas, but so far, none have been successful. Advocates continue to push for reform, arguing that 17-year-olds are not mature enough to be treated as adults in the justice system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Texas Justice System Treats 17-Year-Olds as Adults A 17-year-old was arrested this week on suspicion of fatally stabbing another teen at a Frisco ISD track meet. He can\u2019t buy alcohol, guns, lottery tickets or tobacco, vote, enlist in the military or serve on a jury, but he can be tried as an adult in Texas. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":3323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3322","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crime-reports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/YJOHJDNAO5BRXBLCAJNO4O6SOI.JPG?auth=feabef3412ec07a32c435d6b7c81a23bf98fa51ec6ea29dcfcdf306692f80b1a&height=630&width=1200&smart=true&quality=80","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3322"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3322"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3324,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3322\/revisions\/3324"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}