Bill would return nonviolent 17-year-olds to juvenile justice system

Bill would return nonviolent 17-year-olds to juvenile justice system by Matthew Defour

To read this article on the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange website, click here.

A proposal to return first-time, nonviolent 17-year-old offenders to the juvenile justice system has broader bipartisan support than in the past but faces opposition from the state’s top law enforcement officer.

Advocates estimate the bill could cost counties as much as $10 million a year if about 2,000 17-year-old offenders were treated in the juvenile system rather than sentenced as adults.