WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Lawmakers who want Michigan to no longer automatically try 17-year-olds as adults are pointing to its outlier status as among the reasons to pass bipartisan bills to “raise the age.”
Michigan is among four states whose default is to treat 17-year-olds as adults in criminal proceedings. There is a growing consensus that 17-year-olds are better off in the juvenile justice system.
Past legislation to raise the age to 18 has stalled in Lansing due to concerns about increased juvenile justice costs, but supporters in both parties say Michigan must “do the right thing.”
They say 17-year-olds could receive age-appropriate rehabilitation services that are unavailable in the adult corrections system. Juveniles treated as adults are more likely to reoffend, they say, and at a greater risk of being assaulted behind bars. (AP)
