Prosecuting Juveniles
Intro: It was a frigid morning in February 2009 in Wampum, Pennsylvania when cops found Kenzie Houk dead with a single gunshot wound to through her brain. She was nearly nine months pregnant. In a shocking twist the murderer turned out to be the eleven year old Jordan Brown, her fiance’s son. He was charged with two counts of homicide, one for Houk and one for her unborn child, making him one of the youngest suspects in American history to be charged with homicide. In early summer, Brown pleaded not guilty to all charges. In the state of Pennsylvania, there is no minimum age limit for minors to be charged as adults and face a life term without parole. Therefore the question remains: Should juveniles be prosecuted as adults?
Intro: It was a frigid morning in February 2009 in Wampum, Pennsylvania when cops found Kenzie Houk dead with a single gunshot wound to through her brain. She was nearly nine months pregnant. In a shocking twist the murderer turned out to be the eleven year old Jordan Brown, her fiance’s son. He was charged with two counts of homicide, one for Houk and one for her unborn child, making him one of the youngest suspects in American history to be charged with homicide. In early summer, Brown pleaded not guilty to all charges. In the state of Pennsylvania, there is no minimum age limit for minors to be charged as adults and face a life term without parole. Therefore the question remains: Should juveniles be prosecuted as adults?