Key Points
By allowing young people the opportunity to demonstrate improvement sooner than the 40-year mandatory sentence, taxpayer money could be saved without causing a decrease in public safety.
The best legislative solution to correct this injustice has already been proposed in past sessions. “Raise the Age” legislation would have increased the automatic age of criminal jurisdiction from 17 to 18, meaning that minors would automatically be processed through the juvenile system. It also provided for judicial discretion to transfer youth with the most serious offenses to the adult system on a case-by-case basis.
To once again lead the way and to create meaningful change in the lives of individuals affected and positive change in our communities, Texas should seriously consider implementing and funding needed juvenile justice reforms, and hopefully, as in the past, other states and even the federal government will follow.
Press release: Justice Reform Can’t Ignore Juveniles in the Lone Star State
Image credit: rawf8
Featured Publications
Stacey McKenna
March 29, 2023
Adam Thierer
March 30, 2023
Caroline Melear, Jerry Theodorou
March 28, 2023
Courtney Joslin, Sophia Heimowitz
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Christi M. Smith
March 14, 2023
Adam Thierer
March 9, 2023
Courtney Joslin, Sophia Heimowitz
March 6, 2023
Robert Melvin
March 3, 2023
Josiah Neeley
March 2, 2023
Philip Rossetti
Feb 28, 2023