The MAJDC Law Blog

Senator Mamie Locke has introduced SJ 45 which requests that the Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice study the process of transferring juveniles to adult court.  The bill cites inconsistencies and lack of predictability in the process as one of the reasons for the study.  The bill also raises the question of whether criminal street gang affiliation should be a factor in the transfer determination.

The directive given the Advisory Committee by the bill orders them to study the entire process, determine whether the automatic transfer statute should be revised, and evaluate the process with reference to the prevention and prosecution of gang crime.  The bill aims to have the study done by the 2009 General Assembly Session.