Let's keep kids out of adult jails! By law every youth as young as 14 years old who is charged as an adult is automatically placed in an adult jail while he or she awaits trial. There are over 33 charges that result in automatic adult charges, placing youth in the adult criminal system and adult jails. This happens before a judge even has a chance to look at the circumstances of the case and determine which system is appropriate for the youth and well before the youth has even had a trial. Detention in an adult jail harms youth, placing them at increased risk of victimization and suicide. And once released, they are more likely to reoffend than their counterparts placed in juvenile justice detention for similar offenses.
SB 454 / HB 848 would change this by requiring that all youth who are detained pretrial be held in juvenile justice facilities, not adult jails, except in specified exceptional circumstances. There they would be supervised by individuals trained to work with youth and would receive needed educational and rehabilitative services.
But we need your help to make this happen! Call your legislators on the Senate Judicial Proceedings and House Judiciary committees and urge them to support SB 454 / HB 848.
My name is _________________ and I am calling to request that you support SB 454 / HB 848.
-Juveniles charged as adults should be placed in juvenile facilities.
-Youth who are sent into the adult criminal system are approximately 34% more likely than youth retained in the juvenile court system to be re-arrested for violent or other crimes.
-Each adult jail in Maryland treats juvenile inmates differently and different services, if any, are available to them. There is very little oversight as to the services made available to youth in the jails.
-Juvenile justice facilities in Maryland must offer educational and therapeutic services to their youth and are required to be staffed with counselors trained to handle youth.
I respectfully urge you to support this legislation.