At what age an adult? Many in Louisiana say 17 is too young

[...] when he was accused of trying to use someone else's credit card to buy cigarettes, he swiftly realized that — at least when it comes to the criminal justice system — the state of Louisiana considers him to be an adult.

Proponents of the legislation point to cases like Harris,' where states treat 17-year-olds as kids in many respects — they can't vote, buy cigarettes or lottery tickets, or serve on a jury — but as adults when it comes to crime.

There are more probation officers to oversee juvenile cases and direct communication with schools so they can help keep students on track.

While many people may think of the worst case scenarios like murder or armed robbery, one of the study's authors, Stephen Philippi, said the vast majority of the roughly 6,000 17-year-olds arrested in Louisiana in 2014 were for nonviolent crimes like marijuana possession.

The 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act requires that 17-year-olds housed in adult facilities be physically separated — called "sight and sound separation" — from their older counterparts to prevent sexual assault.

For those concerned that 17-year-olds accused of heinous crimes would get a free pass, proponents note that district attorneys would still be able to move serious cases into adult court — as they can now with many younger offenders.