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Expert tells Senate Judiciary that completing Vermont—s Raise-the-Age rollout advances public safety
Summary
A Columbia University researcher told the Senate Judiciary Committee that moving 18- and 19-year-olds into the family court system improves public safety, reduces custody and probation counts, and urged Vermont to fix data gaps and designate an agency to monitor implementation of Raise the Age phase 2.
Whale Chester, a researcher at Columbia University, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 19 that Vermont is well positioned to move forward with the second phase of its Raise the Age reforms but must fix persistent data gaps and assign an agency to monitor implementation.
Chester said the "goal of Raise the Age is public safety," and described research showing that 18- and 19-year-olds share developmental traits with younger adolescents that make adult-style punishment less effective and often counterproductive.
Chester summarized three research streams informing "emerging adult justice": neurobiology, developmental psychology and life-course criminology. She said emerging adults are more influenced by peers, more impulsive and more motivated by positive…
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