The Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility

This report examines the effects and implications of the 1996 New Hampshire law that transferred seventeen-year-old offenders to the adult criminal justice system. It analyzes the benefits and drawbacks of this decision with the available budget and recidivism data. The report also compares New Hampshires policy to those of other states and examines the implications of trying seventeen-year-olds as adults in other states. Innovative alternative policy options for the treatment of seventeen-year-old criminal such as a blended sentencing approach, teen courts, and alternative specialized courts are also examined as possible policy options.