A 10-year-old Pennsylvania boy who is in an adult jail is scared, lonely and misses his mother, according to his public defender.
The boy is at Wayne County Correctional Facility for allegedly beating a 90-year-old woman to death in October. He is one of the youngest people to ever to face an adult homicide charge in the state, the Associated Press reported.
He recently met with his family and was allowed to have physical contact with them "so his mom can give him a hug," said public defender Scott Bennett. When the boy was first brought to the jail he was not allowed to have any physical interaction with visitors.
Wayne County Chief Clerk Vicky Botjer said the boy is separated from adult inmates in a "safe environment" and has been given books, movies and a tutor to help with school work. He is treated similarly to other inmates in that his cell doors are locked at night and opened in the morning, according to the AP.
The alleged crime took place at the home of the boy's grandfather on Oct. 11. The victim, Helen Novak, had been under the care of the boy's grandfather. The boy lost his temper after Novak yelled at him.
According to police, he then chocked Novak with a cane and held her down on a bed while punching her in the stomach and throat.
The boy has met with a psychiatrist, and a mental health expert will meet with him on the defense's behalf.
The boy's first attorney tried to get him released to either a juvenile detention facility or into the custody of his father, but the attorney eventually withdrew the request because the family did not feel comfortable having custody of the boy after the alleged murder. The state decided to house him in an adult jail because the nearest youth facility is 80 miles away and his family wanted him closer, the AP reported.
Marsha Levick, chief counsel of the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia, believes that the state has not acted quickly and strongly enough to move the boy out of an adult jail and into a juvenile detention center.
"It's shocking. I'm not sure there's another state in the country where we would see this, a 10-year-old boy sitting in an adult county jail for two months," Levick said. "This is not in any way to diminish the crime he is charged with, which is the most serious crime, but we don't treat children in this country this way."
As far as how the boy is handling the situation, Bennett said "he's doing as well as can be expected."
"He's a 10-year-old kid away from his family," Bennett added. "This is not an easy thing,"
