Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Juvenile Justice topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Prosecutors tell committee SB 27-10 would send juvenile firearm cases to circuit court; members push for clearer drafting
Summary
Prosecutors and the attorney general's office told the Judiciary A committee SB 27-10 would give circuit court original jurisdiction when a juvenile uses a firearm in a serious felony and raise penalties tied to stolen firearms; members raised concerns about application, sealed youth records, and unintended impacts on very young juveniles, and the committee added a reverse-repealer to buy drafting time.
Brian Buckley, president of the Mississippi Prosecutors Association, told the committee that SB 27-10 is intended to give circuit court original jurisdiction in cases where a juvenile "has a firearm that is used in a serious felony," explaining why prosecutors sought that change: "What this bill does is it allows circuit court to get original jurisdiction on anytime a juvenile has a firearm that is used in a serious felony." (Brian Buckley, president, Mississippi Prosecutors Association).
Gregory Austin of the attorney general's policy division summarized the bill's second part as focusing on stolen firearms and penalty enhancements: "The 2nd part of the bill is only about stolen firearms." Committee members pressed for statutory citations and worried about operational differences across counties — for example, whether youth courts were failing to certify juveniles that prosecutors believed should be moved to circuit court, and whether very young children might face adult processing. After extended debate members moved and adopted a reverse-repealer to allow the committee to advance the bill while continuing to refine the language.
