Second Chance Bill

To my knowledge, an American citizen is not considered an adult until they reach the age of 18. However, I was shocked to find out that nine out of our fifty states actually try 17 year olds as adults in court. The state in which a minor commits a crime is responsible for making the decision whether the minor is put in juvenile court or adult court. Wisconsin, one of the nine states, set a law in the 90's to make their crime laws more "punishment focused" due to the belief that juveniles were becoming more violent. However, lawmakers in Wisconsin are working on a bill called the "Second Chance Bill" which would allow 17 year olds to be tried in juvenile courts again. There are many positive aspects to this bill, such as the fact that juvenile courts focus less on the punishment of the crime (like adult trials) and more on rehabilitation for the minor. Records in the juvenile system are sealed, meaning they are not open to the public like the adult system, so their access to education and jobs will not be affected. It has been proven that minors given rehabilitation are less likely to "reactivate" than those who are placed in prison/jail. The bill also protects minors from the adult system, in which they are more likely to be sexually and physically assaulted and are more likely to commit suicide. If the law passes, 17 year old juveniles who are "one-time offenders" will be taken back to juvenile court, but will still be qualified for judicial waiver into the adult system. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tina-freiburger/age-17-adult-or-juvenile-_b_8185018.html?utm_hp_ref=crime&ir=Crime