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Juvenile justice commission urges end to automatic adult charges; DJS outlines reforms and data
Summary
The Maryland Juvenile Justice Reform and Best Practices Commission recommended reducing or ending automatic charging of children as adults, citing data that most automatically charged youths do not receive adult convictions; Department of Juvenile Services described staffing, program and data reforms and said it is expanding pest control and reducing overtime.
The Maryland Juvenile Justice Reform and Best Practices Commission recommended that the General Assembly eliminate or sharply restrict automatic charging of children as adults, Commission Chair Andre Davis told the House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 22.
"We should comply with federal law because we're required to and it's the right thing to do," Davis said, summarizing the commission's October report and urging a move away from mandatory adult charging that routes children into adult facilities.
Davis said the commission’s analysis — drawing on data from the Vera Institute, DJS, and the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy — shows roughly 80–88% of children automatically charged in adult court do not ultimately receive adult convictions, with many returned to juvenile court after resource‑intensive reverse‑waiver proceedings. He argued…
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