Over the past ten years, half of the states that had previously excluded all 16- and/or 17-year-olds from juvenile court based solely on their age have changed their laws so that most youth under age 18 who touch the justice system will fall under the jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system. These policy changes are part of a shift to “raise the age”–reforms focused on moving out of the adult criminal justice system the tens of thousands of youth under 18 who are automatically treated as adults because of age of jurisdiction laws. States have raised the age for many reasons, one of which is research showing that justice-involved teenagers are more likely to move past delinquency and successfully transition to adulthood if they are served by a juvenile justice system, not an adult criminal justice system.
Read JPI’s newest report on the growing national trend to Raise the Age, and how the youth justice systems are shifting towards more effective practices to manage the change without costs rising significantly, and achieving better public safety and youth development outcomes
DOCUMENTS
- Full Report- Raising the Age: Shifting to a safer and more effective juvenile justice system
- Executive Summary- Raising the Age: Shifting to a safer and more effective juvenile justice system
MEDIA
- National Press Release
- “A 17-year-old is not an adult, and shouldn’t be treated as such. Even felons.”– Paul Elam and Francisco A. Villarruel, Michagan Bridge
- “Raise the Age, or pay the price” -James White, TribTalk
- “Editorial: Raise the age Texas’ 17-year-old offenders don’t belong in prisons with adults and that should change” -Rob Wythe, The Houston Chronicle
- “Texas can Raise the Age and Keep Communities Safe” -Marc Schindler and Marcy Mistrett, The Houston Chronicle
- “Raise the Age Wave Stalled in Michigan, But Gathering Strength in Texas, North Carolina” -John Holland, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange
- “New York State Resolves to Raise the Age for Juvenile Court Proceedings” -John Holland, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange
- “Outlook uncertain for bill to raise age of criminal responsibility” -Jonathan Silver, The Texas Tribune
- “The Unfinished Business of Juvenile Justice” -Jason Ziedenberg, The Crime Report
- “Texas, Missouri Debate Next Step on Raise the Age” -John Holland, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange
- “Report says costs and juvenile crime are down in some states trying 17-year-olds as juveniles” -Lorelei Hard, The ABA Journal
- “Young People Of Color Are Central To Debate Over ‘Raising The Age'”-Gene Demby, NPR Codeswitch
- “Some States Are Still Sending Teens to Adult Prisons”-Brittney McNamara, Teen Vogue
- “How ‘Raising the Age’ Is Transforming Youth Justice”-Marcy Mistrett and Marc Schindler, Open Society Foundation’s Blog
- “How to Keep Closing Prisons in a Trump Era”-Brentin Mock, CityLab
- “Reality Check with Charles Ellison”-Charles Ellison and Marc Schindler, 900 AM WURD
- “How to Reduce Juvenile Crime: Use Separate Courts”-Arthur Rizer and Marc Schindler, The American Conservative
- “Crime and the Adolescent Brain”– The Editorial Board, New York Times
- “Lawmakers renew debate on long-sought change for when youth become adults in criminal cases”-Mike Ward, Houston Chronicle
- “Adult prison sentences make no sense for children”-Roy Austin, The Hill
- “States That Raise the Age See Less Recidivism, Cost Savings, JPI Report Says”-John Holland, JJIE
- “Cuomo points to Rikers in push to raise age of young offenders”-Kenneth Lovett, NY Daily News
Help spread the word about our new report and convince our policymakers to enact #RaiseTheAge policies! Join the conversation by using the report hashtag, and sending your own posts from our general social media toolkit and state-based social media toolkit.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Learn more about how states can raise without overwhelming their youth justice systems, and achieve better public safety and youth development outcomes.
- North Carolina: Commission on the Administration of Law and Justice Committee on Criminal Investigation and Adjudication – Interim Report
- Texas: Unfinished Business in Texas Juvenile Justice Reform – Texas Criminal Justice Reform Coalition
- Georgia: 2013 Juvenile Justice Reform. Policies to Reduce Secure Confinement, Costs, and Recidivism
- Wisconsin: Wisconsin’s Community-based Juvenile Justice System: Summary of input gathered and visions for the future of youth justice
- Missouri: The Missouri Model: Reinventing the Practice of Rehabilitating Young People