House OKs Bill To Treat 17-Year-Olds As Juvenile Offenders
LANSING (AP) - Bills advancing in Michigan's Legislature would stop automatically treating 17-year-old criminal offenders as adults and instead put them in the juvenile justice system.
A main measure in the 20-bill package won approval on a 92-16 vote Wednesday in the Republican-controlled House. It goes to the Senate for consideration.
Supporters say Michigan is among just nine states to consider 17-year-old offenders as adults even though adolescents' brains aren't fully developed. Backers say 17-year-olds shouldn't be sent to an adult jail or prison, and they can be better rehabilitated in juvenile detention.
Prosecutors could still ask judges to treat 17-year-old defendants as adults in serious crimes such as murder and rape. The changes wouldn't take effect until 2018, so Michigan could study the implications for counties that fear higher juvenile justice costs.
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