Maryland is second only to Alabama in the rate at which it sends children to adult court for criminal prosecution. On July 20, 2021, The Sentencing Project’s Marcy Mistrett testified before the Maryland Juvenile Justice Reform Council (JJRC) on national trends in charging children as adults and why it’s imperative children are treated as children. The Sentencing Project strongly encourages the JJRC to adopt recommendations [based on research and public safety] that will ensure all children start in juvenile court, and that cases are reviewed on an individual basis by a judge before determining they should be sent to adult court.
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publications
October 07, 2021
Sign-on Letter: Pass the Redefinition of Child Amendment Act of 2021
Justice organizations urge the Mayor and the Council of the District of Columbia to pass Bill 4-0338, the Redefinition of Child Amendment Act of 2021 as a necessary, common sense approach to juvenile justice reform that will create better outcomes for youth and communities, will treat children as children, and will make significant steps forward in advancing racial equity.
publications
October 07, 2021
Testimony Before DC Council's Committee on the Judiciary in Support of the Redefinition of Child Amendment Act of 2021
Josh Rovner
The Sentencing Project's Senior Advocacy Associate Josh Rovner submitted testimony endorsing Bill 24-338, the Redefinition of Child Amendment Act of 2021, before the Council of the District of Columbia, Committee on the Judiciary. The hearing considers whether all of DC’s children should be seen as such. The bill would apply to 16-and 17-year-olds who have been charged with any one of a set of serious offenses.
