Insights & Information

The Chicago Reporter published a story highlighting the prosecution of minors as adults for gun possession charges. It notes that 17-year-olds are automatically tried as adults for felony charges and that 15- and 16-year-olds can also be tried as adults under some Illinois gun laws. However, the Reporter found that in many gun cases youth are never identified as having a gun, and in others a gun is never recovered. Opinions are divided on this issue, as some argue that strict laws are necessary because of Chicago’s gun violence problem, while others believe youth are being burdened with the collateral consequences of a felony conviction too young and that the juvenile justice system can create better outcomes for them.