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PHOENIX -- Utah isn't the only state fed up with violent juvenile delinquents who get slaps on the wrists for their crimes.
On July 1, Utah automatically will send teen-agers 16 and older to adult court for murder or for committing felonies after serving time in juvenile prisons. The "serious youth offender" law also targets teens who commit one of "10 deadly sins" like a drive-by shooting or aggravated rape.
Minnesota holds adult prison sentences over the heads of dangerous juveniles until they are 21. If they fail to rehabilitate themselves, the teens are shuttled off to adult court for punishment, said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom.
"A child who commits murder or rape will get the same sentence as an adult," Backstrom said. "But they are given one last chance to rehabilitate themselves in the juvenile system."
For the past several years in Illinois, officials have been sending teens...