What do George Stinney, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, and Mason Schermerhorn have in common? All four were minors whom the criminal legal system and the media treated like adults – a phenomenon known as ‘adultification.’ This racist bias perceives Black children, especially boys, as more mature and less innocent than their white peers. Black children face harsher discipline and punishment from authority figures due to adultification. Studies show it negatively impacts their health and well-being, with deadly consequences for Black boys.
Georgia Stinney was 14 when he was unfairly executed for a crime. Mike Brown was 16 when he was shot dead by a police officer. Tamir Rice was only 12 years old when officers killed him within seconds of arriving on the scene. Neither officer faced charges. And 14-year-old autistic Black student Mason Schermerhorn was initially portrayed as the perpetrator in a school shooting when he was the victim. The Central Park Five, also known as The Exonerated Five, were teenagers when they were tried, convicted, and sentenced as adults for a rape they did not commit. Their cases exposed how the criminal justice system depravedly ignores the youth and vulnerability of Black boys, rushing to treat them as adults.
The adultification of Black boys is linked to the myth of their irredeemability. The
irredeemability of Black men presumes that they have no future worth salvaging. Racial disparities in sentencing and parole denials for Black male minors stem from this narrative. In contrast, white teen Ethan Couch received leniency for killing four people, with his attorneys arguing his privileged upbringing should mitigate responsibility. Adultification robs Black boys of the innocence, protection, and opportunities afforded to white mchildren. It is a form of social violence that deprives them of crucial developmental experiences.
The Muhammad Law Center aims to challenge this bias through strategies like ensuring Black minors are charged as children and mandating access to rehabilitation programs. The Muhammad Law Center is taking a comprehensive approach to combat the pervasive adultification of Black boys in American society. This will include:
Mandating Access to Rehabilitation Initiatives: The Muhammad Law Center will
advocate for policies that mandate access to comprehensive rehabilitation programs for Black youth ensnared by the criminal legal system. These initiatives will focus on addressing the root causes of their actions, providing mental health support, and fostering the skills and confidence needed to successfully reintegrate into their communities.
By employing these multi-faceted strategies, the Muhammad Law Center aims to dismantle the pervasive adultification of Black boys and ensure that Black children are afforded the fundamental rights, protections, and opportunities to reach their full potential.
Challenging the Myth of Irredeemability: We will work to dismantle the harmful
narrative that paints Black males as irredeemable threats, undeserving of the same considerations and protections afforded to their white peers. We will advocate for a more nuanced understanding of Black youth, emphasizing their inherent humanity and potential for rehabilitation.
Ensuring Black Minors are Charged as Minors: We will fight to ensure that Black
children are not unfairly adultified within the criminal legal system. We will fight against the injustice of charging Black minors as adults, and demand that their age and developmental stage taken into account.
Considering Social and Historical Mitigating Factors: The Muhammad Law Center will push for sentencing and parole decisions to thoroughly consider the social, economic, and historical factors that have contributed to the challenges faced by Black people in this country and their disproportionate impact on Black youth. This includes recognizing the racist agenda of institutions in America that impact both crime and punishment and the trauma of their lived experiences.