State Rep. Graham Filler, right, joins Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Attorney General Dana Nessel and a bipartisan coalition of legislators from both the House and Senate for a bill-signing ceremony Thursday.

The policy requiring all 17-year-olds to be treated as adults in Michigan courts will soon end after a plan spearheaded by state Rep. Graham Filler was signed into law this week.

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. Filler, of DeWitt, 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.

“Teenagers fare much better in the juvenile system – where the focus is on rehabilitation, education and family involvement – rather than serving hard time in prison,” said Filler, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee. “With these reforms, judges and prosecutors will have the discretion they need to determine the best course of action for each 17-year-old who makes a mistake.”
Including 17-year-olds in the juvenile system has been shown to reduce reoffending by 34 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Filler’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. Prosecutors will continue to have discretion, allowing them to waive minors who commit violent crimes into the adult system when appropriate.

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.

###