Jo-Ann Wallace

The following viewpoint is Jo-Ann Wallace’s testimony before the House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Crime. Wallace, the director of the public defender service for the District of Columbia, argues that the juvenile court system should not be abolished. Treating juveniles harshly or giving them adult sentences does not reduce the incidence of juvenile crimes, she contends. In fact, Wallace maintains, statistics show that juveniles prosecuted in adult courts have a higher rate of recidivism than juveniles who were tried in juvenile courts. Moreover, children do not have the same rights and responsibilities as adults, nor are they mature enough to understand the consequences of their actions. Therefore, she asserts, children should not be tried in adult courts or sentenced to adult prison time.

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