‘Raise the Age’ plan treats 17-year-olds as minors in Michigan courts

State Rep. Michael Webber today introduced legislation as part of a bipartisan plan to transform the way 17-year-olds are treated in Michigan’s criminal justice system.

Michigan is one of just four states in the country to automatically prosecute 17-year-olds as adults when they’re accused of breaking the law. Webber said eliminating this outdated practice will help rehabilitate young offenders and reduce the likelihood of them breaking the law again in the future.

“Forcing 17-year-olds to serve time in prison with older inmates is a dangerous practice that leaves the teens more likely to reoffend in the future,” said Webber, of Rochester Hills. “The juvenile court system is better equipped to educate, protect and rehabilitate teenagers, putting them in a better position to lead happy, healthy and successful lives.”

The proposal would 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 within the juvenile system in most circumstances. Prosecutors will continue to have some discretion, allowing them to waive minors who commit violent crimes into the adult system when appropriate.

The plan also establishes a funding mechanism to help local counties deal with the increased costs from the uptick of juvenile offenders in the system.

“Treating and rehabilitating young people will ultimately lower the number of repeat offenders, saving public tax dollars and improving public safety,” Webber said. “As the former Vice Chairman of the House Criminal Justice Committee, I have been proud to sponsor a part of this legislative package each session and look forward to working to pass it this term.”

No other state devotes a larger share of its budget to prisons than Michigan. In the 1970s – when Michigan’s prison population was merely 14,000 – corrections spending made up just 3 percent of the state budget. Webber said about 20 percent of the state’s general fund budget is now dedicated to corrections, taking public tax dollars away from schools, roads and other critical services. Michigan’s current prison population is about 39,000.

House Bills 4133-46 have been referred to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration.

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