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Senate advances juvenile sentencing bills after testimony from judiciary, prosecutors and corrections
Summary
The Utah Senate advanced Senate Bill 249 (juvenile sentencing authority) and sent Senate Bill 250 (serious youth offender track) to the House after testimony from the Judicial Council, juvenile judges, prosecutors and youth corrections officials about minimum sentences, facilities and costs.
Senate leaders moved forward with a package of bills aimed at changing juvenile sentencing policy, advancing Senate Bill 249 to the third-reading calendar and passing Senate Bill 250 to the House for further action after testimony from judges, the Judicial Council, prosecutors and youth-corrections officials.
Justice Christine Durham, speaking for the Utah Judicial Council, told senators the council "strongly support[s]" the legislation and emphasized that the key change is giving juvenile judges minimum sentencing authority: "Juvenile judges do not have minimum sentencing authority the way adult judges do, and we would very much like to see the system revised to give it to them." Durham said keeping sentencing decisions in open court preserves accountability because defenders, prosecutors and victims are present.
Judge David Swanson, representing juvenile court judges, said the bills were intended to improve public safety and juvenile…
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