The state's practice of charging 17 year olds as adults will be the subject of an audit. They can't vote, can't drink, can't buy cigarettes, but when it comes to the criminal justice system, 17 year olds get treated like adults. Representative Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee), who requested the audit, says they'd do much better in in the juvenile justice system.
The Milwaukee Democrat's sentiments are echoed by Wendy Henderson with the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families , who notes teens in the juvenile system get much more access to education resources. The Legislature's Joint Audit Committee voted unanimously to approve an audit of the cost and effectiveness of prosecuting and incarcerating 17 year olds as adults, something the state has been doing for the past ten years.