SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A social work expert says a Somali refugee shot by police should be allowed to face drug and robbery charges in juvenile court to give the 18-year-old a chance to rehabilitate.
Robert Butters of the University of Utah said Monday that research shows juveniles thrown into adult prisons only learn to become “better criminals.”
Butters testified for the defense during a hearing in which a judge is weighing whether to grant the prosecution’s request to move Abdullahi “Abdi” Mohamed’s case to adult court.
Butters says Mohamed needs special help considering his mental health issues and the trauma he’s endured in his lifetime.
Mohamed was 17 at the time of the February 2016 incident.
Prosecutors cleared the officers of wrongdoing, but a police civilian review board found they didn’t follow department policy.