In the majority of the other cases, lesser misdemeanor charges were filed. Under the new Arizona law, felony school interference charges ultimately were filed in 37 of the 241 cases referred to Maricopa County Juvenile Court. Prosecutors say they filed 14 more felony interference charges in cases where police didn't ask for it. The Republic reviewed 79 available case files and found 16 where juveniles were charged with felony interference. Seven of those ended up convicted of felonies and others were guilty of lesser charges.
Prosecutors note that it's routine for many cases to be dropped, no matter what the law.
They also say just the threat of a felony charge is enough to deter children from making threats at school. The Republic's review found that since the law took effect, teenagers have been arrested for an array of threats and that in all but one case, they were resolved without jail time. And in Mesa, a special-education student grabbed the neck of a classroom aide and threatened to kill her after she refused to let him leave early to get his pills. Only one of the students was jailed. That was the boy who threatened to shoot everyone at his school, starting in the office and then moving to a ramada.