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Defender General urges stakeholder review of S.186, warns plea change could saddle juveniles with criminal records
Summary
Defender General Matt Valerio told the Senate Judiciary committee on Feb. 20 that S.186 should be reviewed by an existing juvenile-justice stakeholders group because, as drafted, it could encourage young defendants to accept criminal convictions with lasting collateral consequences; he recommended clearer drafting and judicial safeguards.
Matt Valerio, the Defender General, told the Senate Judiciary committee on Feb. 20 that the office is not opposed out of hand to S.186 but urged lawmakers to refer the bill to a longstanding juvenile-justice stakeholders group for review and drafting fixes before advancing it.
Valerio said he and his staff do not clearly see the problem the bill is intended to fix and that a multi-stakeholder review would surface the competing interests and practical pitfalls. "I'm unaware of the problem, if there is a problem," he told the committee, arguing that the informal group — which includes DCF, the Department of Corrections, state attorneys, sheriffs, the attorney general's office, judges and…
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