Question

Over the past several decades there have been many examples of juveniles calling in bomb threats to schools (often to disrupt daily schedules or testing schedules). In Alabama, this is now considered a terrorist threat, which is a Class C Felony. What should the consequences be? Should the juvenile be tried as an adult?

Answer 1

• When a juvenile is charged with making terroristic threats the court holds a hearing to determine if delinquency exists. If a juvenile is found delinquent, meaning they would be found guilty of the crime if they were an adult, then the court may make a custodial or non-custodial disposition.
• The court makes this decision by weighing a long list of mitigating and aggravating factors such as age and past offenses and deciding an appropriate disposition based on one of the many punishments specified.
• Such punishments can often be less severe for first time juvenile offenders than sentences that attach to adult offenders and can include community service, probation, parental supervision, or admittance into a juvenile detention center or “boot camp”, etc.
• Since terroristic threats are 3rd or 2nd degree offenses, depending on the circumstances, they bring with them the possibility of incarceration. The maximum terms for juveniles under are 3 years for a 2nd degree offense and 2 years for a 3rd degree offense.
• Kids under the age of 16 who make a school threat could face 90 days in a juvenile detention center or up to 24 months of probation.
• Students over the age of 16 could be tried as adults and face time in prison.The juvenile code is to rehabilitate a juvenile, but with an adult offender, the goal is not to rehabilitate them. It's more of a punishment.
• If a person is convicted of a felony, the charge could be on their record for up to 10 years depending on their age and circumstance concerning school threats.