(This article comes courtesy of MissouriNet.)
A Missouri House committee is considering HB 2498, a bill that would make some changes to the state’s juvenile justice system.
One proposed change would allow prosecutors to request a hearing for juveniles who commit certain violent crimes and allow judges to decide if those cases can be heard in adult courts. It’s one of Gov. Mike Kehoe’s priorities he listed in his State of the State Address on January 13. The proposal is sponsored by State Rep. Brad Christ, R-St. Louis County.
“It allows the prosecutor and the (State Attorney General), if they’re acting in the prosecutor’s role, to request that certification of the juvenile,” Christ told the House Children and Families Committee. “So right now, that juvenile officer has full control of that certification of whether to try them as an adult or hold them.”
Another provision of HB 2498 would allow for parents and guardians to be charged with endangering the welfare of a child if that child becomes a repeat offender. Clifton Davis with the Missouri Justice Coalition opposed the bill during last week’s hearing.
“A single mother working a job or a father being held responsible for their children’s actions 24 hours a day is not smart on crime,” Davis testified. “Prosecuting parents don’t prevent youth crime. It destabilizes the very support system that the child depends on.”
The bill is tentatively scheduled for a vote on Tuesday, January 27, when the House Children and Families Committee is set to meet again.
