Bill > H2232

This bill proposes to amend Chapter 119 of the General Laws to ensure that minors are not charged as adults. Specifically, it aims to raise the age at which a person can be considered an adult for criminal charging purposes from seventeen to eighteen. The bill makes numerous changes to various sections of Chapter 119, primarily by striking out references to "seventeen" and "seventeenth" and replacing them with "eighteen" and "eighteenth," respectively. Additionally, it clarifies that individuals aged fourteen to eighteen charged with a crime must be tried in juvenile court and cannot be charged as adults. The bill also removes the phrase "an adult or" from the definition of a Youthful Offender, further reinforcing the intent to keep minors out of the adult criminal justice system.