Juveniles.

U.S. District Court TRIAL AS ADULT

Steele v. Withrow, 157 F.Supp.2d 734 (E.D.Mich. 2001). An inmate in state court custody sought a writ of habeas corpus alleging the trial court abused its discretion by sentencing him as an adult. The federal district court denied the inmate's application, finding that the trial court's determination that the defendant should be sentenced as an adult for an offense which happened when the defendant was 15 years old was not unreasonable in light of the evidence presented. A probation agent had testified that the defendant was not amenable to treatment, was disruptive at a juvenile detention center, and would be dangerous if released at age 21. A social services agent had testified that the defendant should be sentenced as an adult based on the severity of his crime and his poor participation in the juvenile justice system. (Flint, Michigan)

U.S. District Court TRIAL AS ADULT

U.S. v. A.F.F., 144 F.Supp.2d 797 (E.D.Mich. 2001). A juvenile was charged with first-degree murder for a crime allegedly committed within Indian county. The government moved to transfer the juvenile to adult status and the district court denied the motion. The court found that transferring the 17-year-old juvenile to adult status was not in the interest of justice, even though the juvenile had an extensive history of juvenile justice contacts. The court found that the juvenile had showed positive responses when he received continuous and structured programs and that he would benefit from the rehabilitative programs, that were available within the juvenile justice system. (Saginaw Chippewa Reservation, Michigan)