Senate Seeks to Raise the Age

Liz Gullett

Feb 22, 2019

Echoing the House, the Senate introduced their own package that would ‘Raise the Age’ to treat 17-year-old offenders as juveniles. Under current Michigan law, 17-year-olds are automatically prosecuted as adults, even for non-violent offenses. The 14-bill bipartisan Senate package would treat those 17-year-olds as minors in most instances but would allow for 17-year-olds to be treated as adults in violent criminal offenses. The goal of the plan is to divert youth from the adult criminal justice system and help rehabilitate them through the juvenile justice system.

Michigan is one of four states that prosecute 17-year-olds as adults. According to a press release by one of the bill sponsors, states that have enacted similar ‘Raise the Age’ laws have experienced a significant decrease in juvenile court referrals and recidivism. In voicing their support, a bipartisan group of legislators held a press conference on Wednesday to vocalize their support for the package of bills. The bills have been referred to the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee for consideration.

Members of the House of Representatives have introduced a similar package, those bills are before the House Judiciary Committee for consideration.

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