Prosecutors, defense attorneys and justice reform advocates agree that changes to Maryland's juvenile justice laws that took effect last week are likely to result in increased caseloads for the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS). Whether that will affect crime rates or deter young offenders is less clear, reports the Baltimore Sun. Cases already have been rising in Baltimore, In the first six months of 2024, 590 juvenile cases were charged, compared with 655 in all of 2023. Cases last year were nearly double the number from 2022 when 334 were charged. “Crime reduction will only come by investing in our youth, providing immediate and impactful services for them to take advantage of, and holding them accountable for their actions,” saod Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates. Gov. Wes Moore signed a sweeping juvenile justice legislative package, reversing provisions in a 2022 law that weakened the role of prosecutors in pursuing charges for certain offenses committed by minors.
The 2022 law gave DJS more authority to determine outcomes for youth offenders while relaxing potential punishments and supervisory guidelines. The new law requires a juvenile’s case to be forwarded to a state’s attorney’s office within two days when DJS denies a police request to detain the juvenile, and it allows prosecutors to charge children as young as 10 for certain crimes involving handguns and firearms, third-degree sexual offenses or cruelty to animals. It increases minimum probationary periods for some offenses and requires DJS to contact the juvenile court, local prosecutors, and the child’s defense attorney for certain violations committed while under electronic monitoring supervision. “The whole purpose of the juvenile system is rehabilitation,” Bates said. “You cannot have rehabilitation if young people are not held accountable and if young people are not given that opportunity with the juvenile justice system.” Kelly Quinn of the Maryland Youth Justice Coalition said the possibility of increased caseloads for juvenile offenders is a “real concern.” “Putting kids in the system isn’t going to solve everyday people’s perceptions of crime,” Quinn said. “We will see more children and younger children, some as young as elementary school students, in the system.” Instead of making more services available or improving services that exist, Quinn said the law wrongly focuses on consequences and procedures like sentencing guidelines and probation.
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