An Act Concerning The Age Of Juvenile Jurisdiction.
Impact
If passed, HB 05138 will impact how minors are handled within the juvenile justice system, specifically providing a temporary reprieve from the financial and administrative obligations that municipalities would face if the age was raised. This delay allows towns and cities additional time to adjust their budgets and systems to account for the new legal framework concerning juvenile offenders. Proponents of the bill argue that it will ease the transition for municipalities and prevent abrupt changes that may not be financially sustainable.
Summary
House Bill 05138 seeks to amend the general statutes regarding the age of juvenile jurisdiction by postponing the implementation of provisions that would raise the age to include seventeen-year-olds. The bill stipulates that this delay will last until July 1, 2014. The motivation behind this legislation is to reduce potential financial burdens on municipalities associated with treating seventeen-year-olds as juveniles in legal matters, highlighting a concern over the costs related to juvenile justice system expansion.
Contention
The bill is likely to be met with mixed responses. Supporters, often motivated by fiscal concerns, advocate for the delay, believing that municipalities require more time to prepare for the implications of such a significant change in juvenile law. Conversely, opponents may argue that delaying the age expansion undermines the progress of juvenile justice reform efforts and may negatively impact the treatment and rehabilitation opportunities for seventeen-year-olds, who could be deemed to benefit from the juvenile system rather than the adult justice system.
An Act Concerning A Jobs Program For Youth Impacted By The Juvenile Justice System, Review Of Probation Violations And State-wide Expansion Of Truancy Clinics.