Paul Braun
A House committee advanced a bill Tuesday that would delay the implementation of the “Raise the Age” law requiring 17-year-olds to be prosecuted as juveniles instead of adults.
Plans for the change had passed the Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2016 and were set to take effect July 1.
But concerns have arisen about the financial impact since it costs more to house people in juvenile facilities, which are focused on rehabilitation, than in adult jails.
The new bill, sponsored by Ronnie Johns, R- Lake Charles, would push back the start date for the change to March 1, 2019 for nonviolent 17-year-old offenders and March 1, 2020 for 17-year-old violent offenders. It passed unanimously in the Senate last week.
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LSU Manship School Statehouse Bureau 