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Montana Judiciary Committee hears bill to update Youth Court transfer list; advocates disagree on public safety and youth harm
Summary
Representatives and witnesses debated HB332, which would add several violent offenses to the list that county attorneys may directly file in district court and revise consent‑decree and sight‑and‑sound language; prosecutors said it closes gaps, civil‑liberties and youth‑defense groups warned it risks prosecuting younger children as adults and straining defenders.
Representative Bill Mercer (R‑House District 52) opened the House Judiciary hearing on House Bill 3 32, telling the committee the measure updates the Montana Youth Court Act to reflect newer offenses and to close procedural gaps that have caused inconsistent court interpretations. "We spent a lot of time on [this bill] in 2023," Mercer said, calling it "a good idea then, and a good idea now."
Proponents included Hallie (Ellie) Bishop, deputy chief and chief juvenile prosecutor with the Yellowstone County Attorney's Office, who testified the bill is primarily a "cleanup" to correct statutory cross‑references and to make recent criminal definitions usable in the transfer statute. Bishop said several serious crimes enacted since the original language (for example, statutes enacted in 2017 and 2005) are not reflected in the transfer provisions and that county attorneys need those options in rare, violent cases. "This bill is to fix the procedural gaps within informal adjudication of juvenile offenders,"…
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