Decriminalizing Delinquency: the Effect of Raising the Age of Majority on Juvenile Recidivism

In the last decade, a number of states have expanded the jurisdiction of their juvenile courts by increasing the maximum age of jurisdiction to eighteen. Proponents argue that these expansions reduce crime by increasing access to the beneficial features of the juvenile justice system. Critics counter that these expansions risk increasing crime by reducing deterrence. In 2010, Illinois raised the maximum age of the juvenile court for misdemeanor offenders. By examining the effect of this law on juvenile offenders in Chicago, IL, this paper provides the first empirical estimates of the consequences of recent legislative activity to raise the age of criminal majority. Applying a difference-in-differences design with multiple control groups, we find no evidence of an effect of the law on recidivism. Our results suggest that—contrary to the expectations of both advocates and opponents—increasing the maximum age of the juvenile court does not affect juvenile recidivism. Charles E. Loeffler Department of Criminology McNeil Building, Suite 483 3718 Locust Walk University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6286 Email: [email protected] Ben Grunwald Department of Criminology McNeil Building, Suite 483 3718 Locust Walk University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6286 Email: [email protected] Draft – Do Not Cite 10/17/14