Florida sends more juveniles to adult court than any other state. Teens tried and convicted in Florida courts face longer sentences than adults found guilty of the same crime. At the same time, a juvenile tried as adult in Florida is less likely to face jail time than their peers tried in juvenile court. Those are just some of the findings of a new FSU study looking at how Florida treats juveniles transferred to its adult courts.
The report uses data gathered from Florida's Department of Corrections, courts, and a database of the state's sentencing guidelines.
Report author Peter Lehmann, a PhD candidate at FSU's College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, joins the show to discuss the study's findings and what happens when juveniles go on trial as adults.