Judge bucks law, says boys as young as 10 can be locked up

CHICAGO — A Cook County judge on Wednesday declined to follow a new local ordinance that bans boys 12 and younger from being sent to the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, ordering that two 12-year-olds remain confined there.

Juvenile Court Presiding Judge Michael Toomin said a state law allowing children as young as 10 to be locked up not only trumps the county ordinance under the state's constitution but also does a better job of protecting the public. Both boys have gun charges on their records, and both ran away from home after being charged.

"These minors represent a clear and present threat to society to the extent that only secure placement is appropriate," Toomin wrote in a court order. "The county's ordinance offers little aid or guidance in the processing and placement of this cohort of our minors."

Public defenders for both boys said they would appeal the ruling, but in the meantime the boys will remain in the detention center on the West Side. They appeared in court in matching maroon sweatshirts and navy sweatpants, their handcuffed hands behind their backs.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/judge-bucks-law-says-boys-as-young-as-10-can-be-locked-up/ar-BBOyeik?li=BBnbcA1