what is the legal age a child can be tried in the court system as an adult????

Answer 1

I have seen cases of MURDER where 14 year old boys have been tried as adults.......I sure would hate to see it if this country starts trying 6 year olds as adults...... but I think in some states, it all depends on the crime.....and in a majority of the states, I believe that 16 is the cutoff between being tried as a child in the juvenile system or tried as an adult. A case in point is the Michael Skakel trial-- he was the nephew of Ethel Kennedy (Robert F. Kennedy's widow) who, when he was only 15 killed 15 year old Martha Moxley with a golf club, beating her to death. Before he was tried, there was a consideration to try him as a JUVENILE because he was only 15 at the time of the crime---however since decades had passed and Skakel had remained UNTRIED until he was arrested in 2000, he was tried as an ADULT... he COULD have, however been tried as a juvenile even though he was well over 40 years old at the time of TRIAL only because he was 15 at the time of the murder.... I remember there being a lot of controversy as to what his PUNISHMENT would be---whether to punish him with the amount of time he would have received back when the murder OCCURED based on the year of the attack and the sentencing guidelines BACK THEN, or give him a punishment that would fit the crime had it occured in 2002 when he was convicted---he received 20 to LIFE

Answer 2

In Canada, the age of majority is 19. The court (judge) decides if a child over the age of 16 will be tried as an adult, depeding on the crime and the arguments the Crown (prosecution) has to offer.

Answer 3

18, but for seroius crimes you can try them as an adult so long as you have approval from the jury.

Answer 4

If a capital crime it's up to the Judge?

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Answer 5

at age 17 u are actually old enought to know what da heck ur doing......

Answer 6

it depends on the crime