A 2000 assessment of the practice of trying and sentencing juveniles as adults states, "Fear of out-of-control juvenile crime and a coming generation of “super-predators,” compellingly if erroneously described publicly and to Congress in 1996, has undermined the traditional practice of treating young offenders as different from adult criminals – less culpable because of their age and more amenable to rehabilitation. In recent years, the focus has turned to punishment and in particular to the transfer of increasing numbers of youthful offenders from juvenile to criminal courts. These 'solutions' have been demonstrated to be doing more harm than good. This policy paper provides information on changes in the juvenile justice system and analyzes why the increased prosecution of juveniles in adult court is another failed 'get tough' policy which is unjust and harmful to children and does nothing to increase public safety."
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