Rep. Wozniak’s juvenile justice reform plan becomes law

The policy requiring all 17-year-olds to be treated as adults in Michigan courts will soon end after a plan sponsored by state Rep. Doug Wozniak was recently signed into law.

Michigan is one of just four states still requiring all 17-year-olds to be prosecuted as adults – even those who commit the most minor offenses. Wozniak, of Shelby Township, said allowing 17-year-olds with lower-level offenses to be sent through the juvenile justice system will help them address their problems and reduce the likelihood of them breaking the law again in the future. Prosecutors will continue to have discretion, allowing them to waive minors who commit violent crimes into the adult system when appropriate

“Rather than bringing the weight of the criminal justice system down on high school juniors and seniors, these reforms will give troubled teenagers a chance to get back on the right track,” Wozniak said. “All of the research shows that 17-year-olds fare much better in the juvenile system, where the focus is on education, rehabilitation and building a family support system.”

Including 17-year-olds in the juvenile system has been shown to reduce reoffending by 34 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Wozniak’s plan will raise the age at which individuals are considered adults for the purposes of prosecuting and adjudicating criminal offenses, allowing 17-year-olds to be treated as minors in most circumstances beginning Oct. 1, 2021.

The new law also includes a funding plan to ensure local communities do not incur any additional costs associated with keeping 17-year-old offenders in the juvenile system, which is administered at the local level.