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