NJ Supreme Court Makes it Harder to Try Kids as Adults

New Jersey's Supreme Court has toughened the requirements for prosecutors to try juvenile defendants in adult court.

Wednesday's 3-2 ruling by the high court stems from a case in which three juveniles were accused of beating and robbing a Woodbridge man in 2009.

The majority held that the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office didn't adequately show that trying the three in adult court was necessary for deterrence.

The justices concluded that juveniles need only prove that prosecutors committed an abuse of discretion and not a "patent and gross" abuse of discretion.

The two dissenting justices disagreed. They said prosecutors already are required under state guidelines to conduct a detailed analysis when seeking to waive juveniles up to adult court.

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