BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A bid to raise the adult prosecution age in Louisiana one year to 18 years old has won strong support in the state Senate.
The proposal to include 17-year-old offenders in the juvenile justice system has drawn bipartisan support across both chambers. The Senate voted 33-4 Monday to advance the measure to the House for consideration.
District attorneys would still maintain their discretion to prosecute juveniles as adults for serious crimes, under the bill.
Gov. John Bel Edwards supports the proposal as part of his legislative package. The Democratic governor released a statement Monday saying treating 17-year-old offenders as adults "is costing our state too much money."
Some senators said they were concerned the proposal may place additional fiscal pressure on an already strapped state budget, but Morrell said states with similar legislation have seen long-term correctional savings.
Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, proposed the legislation. He said the age change would phase-in over a two year period, granting lawmakers the ability to revisit the legislation if its cost proved "too burdensome" to the state budget.
Supporters of the measure point to studies that show juveniles in the adult system are at a greater risk of physical and sexual assault, often isolated for long periods of time, often deprived of education and at an increased risk of suicide. All nine states that treat 17-year-olds as adults regardless of the charges against them have pending legislation to raise the age.
"Not only are we out of step with the rest of the country, but this is not the right way to treat our children," Edwards said in his statement.
The proposal did not draw extended debate on the Senate floor, but Sen. Bodi White, R-Baton Rouge, questioned the bill. He asked whether lawmakers should support placing 17-year-old offenders in a juvenile system that could allow them to serve sentences in facilities until they turn 21. White said he saw a problem with 20-year-old offenders being held in facilities with 14 year olds.
White's example, however, already occurs under current law, Morrell said. A 16 year old could follow the same track, he explained, so raising the adult prosecution age by one year would not make a major impact on the current system.
"I would argue to the end of the day Sen. White, that if you put a 17-year-old who is picked up for car theft in an adult facility, it is far more likely in that adult facility that he becomes invisible," Morrell said.
Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge, supported the measure. He said 17 year olds are not known to be great decision makers and they sometimes make stupid, but non-violent decisions. The teenagers would be better served and have a higher chance of rehabilitation in the state's juvenile justice system, while "truly awful" offenders could still be prosecuted as adults, he said.
Morrell agreed and asked the members of the chamber to consider their own children or other 17 year olds they know.
"Ladies and gentleman we are talking about kids," Morrell said. "How many of you have a 17-year-old and look at him and say, 'This is a man?'"