Working to transform the child welfare system.

Bills

SB 5122: Concerning the jurisdiction of juvenile court

SB5122 does the following:
Raises the age of jurisdiction of juvenile court from 8–17 to 13–19, except for charges of murder 1 or 2 which may be charged against a child aged 8–12 subject to a rebuttable presumption of incapacity.

Phases in the increase in the maximum age of juvenile court jurisdiction by raising the age to 18 effective July 1, 2022, and to age 19 effective July 1, 2024, while allowing a county to phase in the jurisdictional increases sooner if authorities within the county agree that capacity exists to provide for adequate safety, rehabilitative programming, and efficient court processing.

Allows a juvenile adjudicated for an offense committed at age 18 to be placed in a juvenile facility through age 22, and a juvenile adjudicated for an offense committed at age 19 to be placed in a juvenile facility through age 23.

Requires jurisdiction over charges filed in juvenile court to remain in juvenile court without requiring an order of extension, unless the court declines jurisdiction pursuant to a decline hearing.

Requires the Office of Juvenile Justice to monitor the implementation of this act and report annually until 2024 on the progress of counties and their readiness to move forward to full implementation.