Juvenile Court
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The Governor is set to sign a bill to include 17-year-olds in the Juvenile Justice System.

John Bel Edwards will host a ceremony with several groups interested in this change. Rachel Gassert is the Policy Director for the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights. She says this law brings Louisiana in line with 41 other states that currently set the age of criminal responsibility at 18. She says 17-year-olds are not adults and shouldn’t be treated as such for even minor offenses.

This legislation will change that, bringing 17-year-olds into the Juvenile Justice System where they will receive age appropriate interventions and rehabilitation to reduce recidivism.

Ted Cox, with Caddo Juvenile Court says this will create a bigger demand on the Juvenile Court system and we could be facing a problem with housing offenders who are 17. He says the current complex only has 24 beds, and we might have to address that in the future. But overall, Cox supports this new law.

But Gassert says this will improve public safety because the recidivism rates in the Juvenile Justice System are far better than those in the adult system.

Research from the Center for Disease Control has shown that youth who are prosecuted as adults are 34% more likely to recidivate than comparable youths who are prosecuted in the juvenile system.

Gassert anticipates more criminal justice reform laws to be enacted during Governor John Bel Edwards’ time in office. She says this bill is a very good first step.

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