Juvenile Justice Reforms up for Debate Again in a House Committee

Debate will continue today on a package of juvenile justice system reforms at the state capitol.

It’s the second round of testimony for the 20 bills before a House committee and State Representative Harvey Santana, D-Detroit, says it likely won’t be the last.

Santana, who’s the lead sponsor of the bill package, says he wants the legislation fully vetted before the bills reach the Senate in hopes it ensures smooth passage out of that chamber.

There likely won’t be a vote in committee on the bills today, pushing any further action to 2016.

The cornerstone of the legislation is a proposal to increase the age a juvenile can be charged as an adult for committing certain crimes from 17 years old to 18 years old.