October is a busy month for youth justice in Michigan!

Following the recommendations from MCCD’s recent ‘Youth Behind Bars report, a sweeping package of 21 bipartisan bills are being introduced into the Michigan State House and Senate this week to keep youth out of our adult criminal justice system .

Top among the proposed reforms includes raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction from 17 to 18 and prohibiting the placement of youth under 18 in any prison or jail.

The “Youth in Prison” package also includes:

• Increasing the maximum age of juvenile court jurisdiction from 17 to 18 years old;
• Increasing the County Child Care fund reimbursement rate for qualifying community-based services for youth by 25 percent;
• Prohibiting the placement of youth under 18 in adult jails and prisons and provide access to age-appropriate rehabilitation;
• Eliminating three offenses from the list of Specified Juvenile Offenses;
• Requiring equal consideration of all mitigating factors prior to waving jurisdiction in traditional juvenile waiver cases;
• Requiring public monitoring and oversight of youth under the jurisdiction of the MDOC who entered for an offense committed prior to turning 18 years old;
• Restricting the use of administrative segregation in prison for youth aged 18 and under; and
• Establishing a family advisory board within the MDOC to ensure effective partnerships with families and victims

Read a full overview of the detailed legislation here.

Want to do more to support these reforms?

• Join us at one of our upcoming events this month! Check out our event listings here.
• Support the Raise the Age MI Campaign by signing the Statement of Principles and joining thousands of organizations and individuals across the state and country!
• Spread the word and use our Raise the Age MI toolkit
• Sign up for MCCD’s newsletter for action alerts and up-to-date information on youth justice advocacy
• Read MCCD’s Youth Behind Bars to learn more about youth in Michigan’s adult justice system

Posted by MCCD on Friday, October 2nd, 2015 @ 11:11AM
Categories: Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency