Legislators push to ‘raise the age’ of criminal responsibility

Progressive lawmakers and the governor are renewing their push to reform the state’s juvenile criminal justice system, picking up where they left off last June when the session ended with no change to the law.

New York and North Carolina are the only two states that automatically prosecute 16- and 17-year-old children as adults, but legislators are trying to change that.

Senate Democrats have a slightly different vision in regards to implementing an age raise. “My bill largely mirrors the governor’s proposal with some significant differences,” State Senator Velmanette Montgomery said last Monday at a press conference. Senator Montgomery is sponsoring bills S.4121, S.4157, and S.4129 which all relate to criminal reform for youthful offenders.

Bill S.4129 would increase the age limit of a youthful offender from 19 to 22. Bill S.4157, the senate version of A.4876, amends the definition of juvenile delinquent, and youthful offender. While also creating special proceedings for certain juvenile offender cases, and establishes that no county jail can be used to confine persons under the age of 18. Finally S.4121 increases the age of criminal responsibility to 18.

To read the story, visit http://legislativegazette.com/archives/4577