Summary
For a transcript of this story, click here . The juvenile justice system in the U.S. was created in the early 20 th century with the understanding that children should be treated differently than adults within the criminal justice system.
Five Facts
- What was one factor that motivated legislators to challenge the idea of prosecuting child and adult offenders under different systems?
- Where do juveniles accused of a crime under direct file spend time before trial?
- Who does direct file impact disproportionately in Pennsylvania?
- Why is direct file under scrutiny?
- How are stakeholders, such as legislators and victims of wrongful arrest, challenging direct file?

Key terms:
- Direct file (noun) – Allowance by the state for prosecutors to file charges against a juvenile directly in adult criminal court
- Superpredator (noun) – a criminology theory, regarded by some scholars as a myth, that holds that a segment of the youth were compelled to commit violent crimes without remorse
- Bipartisan (adjective) – something that involves cooperation among two political parties, i.e. the Democratic and Republican parties
- Charge (verb) – to accuse someone with something, especially under the offense of the law
- Convict (verb) – to declare someone guilty of a criminal offense via the decision of court of law
- Repeat Offender (noun) – an individual who has previously violated the law
- Decertify (verb) – to remove certification of something that fails to comply with institutional standards
- Expunge (verb) – to erase or remove completely, particularly from public record
Focus Questions

- What are some legal terms or concepts in this story you think could be more explored, especially in a long-form format?
- Do you think this report was balanced? If not, what other characters or stakeholders would you include?
- How effectively were all relevant perspectives represented? Were the perspectives and situations of those most affected by direct file covered properly?
For More
What students can do : How would you report this story?- What questions would you ask of Andre Simms, Malik Pickett, State Senator Camera Bartolotta, District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer and David Harrington?
- What resources (academic, anecdotal, public data) would you want to use to tell this story?

Contributed by Cale Holmes, who will be speaking at his alma mater, Randolph College, on Feb. 21, 2023, about his journalism career and what it was like reporting from China. Fill out this form to share your thoughts on Classroom’s resources. Sign up for NewsHour Classroom’s ready-to-go Daily News Lessons delivered to your inbox each morning.