On Thursday, a press conference was held to introduce the Juvenile Justice Act. In recent years, studies have shown that so-called “tough on crime” policies don’t actually work and can cause more harm, especially with juveniles. The Juvenile Justice Act is bi-partisan legislation that would do several things, including; removing the mandate that all juvenile offenders have to be shackled during court proceedings, eliminating life without parole sentences when the offense was committed as a juvenile, and providing training for juvenile diversion programs. The bill was heard on Thursday in the Judiciary Committee and passed to the Floor. (S.F. 994)
