Should 14-Year-Olds Be Charged as Adults?

This article from the American Psychological Association examines a September 2025 proposal from the House of Representatives in the District of Columbia that would allow fourteen-year-olds to be charged as adults and assesses whether such policies improve public safety. The author briefly reviews psychological and developmental research concerning adolescent development, the harms of prosecuting youth as adults, and compares recidivism data for youth in the juvenile legal system compared to the adult legal system.