Bill Passed to Remove Most 17-Year-Olds from Adult Criminal Court in Mississippi
Bill Passed to Remove Most 17-Year-Olds from Adult Criminal Court in Mississippi
May 28, 2010
Campaign for Youth Justice
On April 27, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour signed into law SB 2969 which returns most 17-year-olds to the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. Youth charged with rape, murder, or armed robbery would stay in adult criminal court. Prior to this legislation all 17-year-olds were automatically prosecuted in adult court for any offense. Earlier this spring the Mississippi Legislature approved SB 2969, and the new law goes into effect on January 1, 2011.
Sheila Bedi, Deputy Legal Director at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) stated, "This is a major step forward for Mississippi and we would like to thank all the state legislators who championed this legislation and Mississippi's juvenile and adult corrections departments for supporting this measure."
Congratulations to Mississippi State Senator and Judiciary Committee Chairman Gray Tollison (D-Lafayette, Tallahatchie, Yalobusha), Mississippi State Representative and Juvenile Justice Committee Chairman Earle Banks (D-Hinds), the Mississippi Coalition for the Prevention of Schoolhouse to Jailhouse, the Mississippi Youth Justice Project, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the community organizations who supported this measure. For more information, visit the SPLC Mississippi Youth Justice Project here.
On April 27, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour signed into law SB 2969 which returns most 17-year-olds to the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. Youth charged with rape, murder, or armed robbery would stay in adult criminal court. Prior to this legislation all 17-year-olds were automatically prosecuted in adult court for any offense. Earlier this spring the Mississippi Legislature approved SB 2969, and the new law goes into effect on January 1, 2011.
Sheila Bedi, Deputy Legal Director at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) stated, "This is a major step forward for Mississippi and we would like to thank all the state legislators who championed this legislation and Mississippi's juvenile and adult corrections departments for supporting this measure."
Congratulations to Mississippi State Senator and Judiciary Committee Chairman Gray Tollison (D-Lafayette, Tallahatchie, Yalobusha), Mississippi State Representative and Juvenile Justice Committee Chairman Earle Banks (D-Hinds), the Mississippi Coalition for the Prevention of Schoolhouse to Jailhouse, the Mississippi Youth Justice Project, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the community organizations who supported this measure. For more information, visit the SPLC Mississippi Youth Justice Project here.
