Juvenile Justice

In Arizona, youth can be adjudicated (receive a judgement in court) in juvenile court between the ages of 8-17. Read more here!

If a family can’t afford to hire an attorney, should the state provide legal services to juveniles in need of an attorney?

Did you know that a juvenile’s right to an attorney originated from an Arizona case that made it all the way to the Supreme Court? In In re Gault (1967), the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles have the right to due process which includes the right to an attorney. However, this ruling did not require states to create a public defender’s office specifically for juveniles. Learn more here.

Do you think age 8 is the appropriate age to charge someone with a crime?

In May 2018 Governor Ducey signed a bill that allowed youth who are 17 and accused of a crime to remain in the juvenile justice system until the age of 19. Previously, a youth could be transferred to adult court if they were 17 at the time of the alleged criminal action. Read more here!

Should youth be allowed to remain in juvenile justice system until they are 19?