Youth Tried as Adults Thirteen-year-old boy, Cristian Fernandez of Jacksonville, Florida, was born on January 14, 1999 to a mother who was the same age as he is today. On March 15, 2011, he was arrested in connection with the alleged beating of his 2-year-old brother David. At the time of his arrest, David was hospitalized at St. Luke's Hospital, receiving treatment for injuries sustained the day before. It is alleged that Cristian pushed his 2-year-old brother against a bookcase, causing the child serious head injuries. Cristian's mother, who was only 24 at the time, arrived at the apartment to reveal what had happened moments earlier. However, it is claimed that his mother did not even call the police or take her son to the hospital until 6 hours after the accident. Both Cristian and his mother were charged with murder and Cristian went to court facing life imprisonment in an adult prison. However, the court found that Cristian had once suffered physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of his stepfather. That said, Cristian most likely needed some sort of counseling. However, they still believed that this 12-year-old boy should be tried as an adult. Cristian has been detained for more than a year and has not yet had a trial. He faces two trials on three separate charges brought by the State Attorney (“Reverse”). There is no logical reason to deny a child the right to programs and care provided through the juvenile court system. A movement has begun in our country to renew the juvenile justice system. This movement wants to erase any difference between young delinquents and adult criminals. Nearly all fifty states have changed their juvenile justice laws, allowing more youth to be tried as adults... half of document ......ison>MaCallair, Dan. "Proposition 21 is a Bad Policy for California's Juvenile Delinquents." Academic LexisNexis. December 9, 2013. “Myths and facts.” Partnership for security and justice. RSS and Web Feed 9 December 2013. "National statistics: youth crime". Campaign for youth justice. R+M, n.d. Web December 9, 2013. “Proposition 21: Juvenile Crime Initiative.” Action Alliance for Children. January-February 2000. Children's Advocate news magazine. Web December 9, 2013. “Reverse decision to charge 12-year-old Cristian Fernandez as an adult.” Change.Org. nd Web 9 December 2013.>http:///www.change.org/petitions/reverse-decision-to-try-12-yo-cristian-fernandez-as-an-adult>