A new bill would reverse a 1996 law, that required the courts to treat all 17-year-olds as adults.
The bipartisan bill would exempt non-violent 17-year-olds from the requirement.
Supporters include the State Bar of Wisconsin, State Public Defender, Wisconsin Catholic Conference and the state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
They say most arrests of 17-year-olds are for “relatively minor, non-violent offenses.” Yet, the groups say when the teens are charged and sentenced as adults, their time in the justice system “often haunts them for life” in a variety of ways, including by making it less likely that they’ll graduate from high school.
State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says he opposes the bill. He says judges already have discretion in how they handle young offenders.
