Bill moves 17-year-olds to juvenile court system

The Senate Finance Committee on Monday unanimously moved to the full chamber a slate of proposed juvenile justice laws from Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, including a measure that would move 17-year-old criminals into the jurisdiction of Juvenile Court. Currently, they are treated as adults.
Senate Bill 324, also known as the “Raise the Age Act,” would take effect on June 30, 2018, and apply to people 17 years old and younger accused of nonviolent crimes committed on or after July 1, 2018. Starting on June 30, 2020, the bill will also apply to those aged 17 and under who are charged with violent crimes committed on or after July 1, 2020.
However, Executive Director of the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights Joshua Perry, who testified on behalf of Morrell’s legislation, clarified that district attorneys will still retain their ability to prosecute all criminals as adults under certain circumstances.
Louisiana is one of only nine states where every 17-year-old is prosecuted as an adult. Alabama raised its upper limit for juvenile court jurisdiction from 16 to 17 nearly four decades ago.
Morrell’s other bills which passed committee Monday – SB301, SB302 and SB303 – mandated more thorough statistical data from the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice to better assess the accountability and cost-effectiveness of its programs; increased supervision and oversight of youth in custodial settings; and requires the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to draw up new metrics for measuring juvenile justice school performance.