Take The Initiative

Current Ohio law allows for mandatory bindover of youth as young as 14 years old to face adult prosecution who have been alleged to have committed certain offenses, despite the numerous research studies that have proven that the adolescent brain doesn't fully develop until the mid-twenties, with some studies even suggesting later. In fact, former Supreme Court Justice Kennedy stated that "children are constitutionally different from adults in their level of culpability." Justice Kagan has recognized that adolescence is a time of "immaturity, impetuosity, and failure to appreciate risks and consequences." Ohio law recognizes that youth don't have the ability to make adult decisions, such as buying cigarettes and alcohol, voting, serving on juries or getting married without parental consent. Yet, current Ohio law allows children as young as 14 to be tried and convicted as adults, despite the fact that research shows youth face a disadvantage in criminal proceedings because they are less capable than adults to assist counsel with their defense or in understanding their legal rights.