Juvenile Transfers to Adult Court Highest in Shelby County - Articles

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Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jan 8, 2020

In the year following the end of federal oversight at the Shelby County Juvenile Court, black children are still treated more harshly in one key area — transfers to adult court — according to criminal justice reformers quoted in the Memphis Flyer. In 2019, 90 juveniles were transferred to adult court — more than any other jurisdiction in the state and higher than 2018 when federal monitors were in place. Of the 90, 86 were black. That is close to the rate of transfer when the federal monitors were called in, reformers say. Law enforcement officials argue that violent crime is rampant in the county and punishment needs to be tough.