15460. TREATING KIDS LIKE ADULTS: TRANSFORMATION IN JUVENILE JUSTICE. This research paper provides an overview and analysis of the "criminalization" of juvenile justice, examining the reasons behind and the initial consequences of juvenile defendants being treated as adults as a matter of the public policy. The analysis traces the evolution of this trend, looking at the reasons for the shift in juvenile justice philosophy and considering the range of procedures used to carry out the policy. The essay also considers apparent consequences and impact (both in terms of intended and unintended effects) of the policy so far as it can be discerned. It is argued that the policy of trying juveniles as adults (and relatedly, sentencing juveniles as adults) is contrary to the public interest. KEYWORDS: juvenile justice policy juveniles adult court punitive justice term paper. APA Style. 14 pages, 75 footnotes, 25 bibliographic sources.