Juvenile Justice Reforms Pass the House

Liz Gullett

Apr 29, 2016

This week, the House passed a twenty-bill package seeking to make reforms to Michigan’s juvenile justice system. The bills raise the age of a juvenile from 17 to 18 and require cases involving an individual under the age of 18 to be transferred to the Family Division of the Circuit Court. However, the legislation does allow for waivers in cases of serious offenses. Additionally, the package requires the Michigan Department of Corrections to develop policies for age-appropriate out-of-cell activity and outdoor exercise at least five days per week for inmates under 21 years. Currently, Michigan is one of only nine states requiring 17 year olds to be tried as adults. The legislation has an effective date of October 1, 2018, allowing time for a study to be conducted on the cost to local governments. The upcoming fiscal year budgets, at this time, include a $500,000 appropriation for the study. The bills have been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for further consideration.

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