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October 30, 2007

House committee OKs repeal of law on 17-year-olds

PROVIDENCE -- A legislative committee today took a first step toward repealing state law that treats 17-year-olds as adults in criminal matters.

Both the House and Senate, which are meeting in special session today, would have to approve the change for it to become law.

The bill that came out of the House Finance Committee is not retroactive to existing cases. There have been 49 17-year-olds jailed at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston since July 1, when the law took effect, and others arrested whose cases would continue in adult court if the bill as approved in committee becomes law.

There was debate in the committee over the bill's wordin, so whether the absence of it's applying to those alreeady jailed or arrested will remain remains to be seen when the the House and Senate take it up.

The bill as passed in committee seals police and court records for the cases of 17-year-olds, including for the people already in jail and arrested.

“I want to commend the House Finance Committee for making a necessary course correction to a law that was short sighted and, in the long term, damaging to Rhode Island’s interests,” Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said in a statement this evening.

The General Assembly's special session is considering a spate of bills, including efforts to override Governor Carcieri's vetoes of bills. Added to the calendar of bills that wil be considered is one to move the state's presidential primary from March 4 to a Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primary, which many states have gone to. Neither chamber has taken up the measure yet as floor debate heads into the evening.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKiney, with reports from Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:44 PM | Permalink

Comments

Criminal minded adults have been known to use juveniles for commiting crimes such as car theft simply because they are juviniles and will only get their hands slapped. Many are out stealing cars again the same day because the money is good and there is little or no punishment. Doing adult crimes should be punishable by adult punishment.

Robert R. Allard | October 30, 2007 9:33 PM link

I feel the cases should be looked at individually, without age considerations. If someone committes a crime judge him by the crime not by was he too young to realize what he was doing, because the past predicts the future. Greg Price would now be free if his actions did not keep him jailed. Imagine a multi killer loose because he was young when he took several lives. Think about what you will be exposing the general public to and how you would feel seeing that youth free to live his life and committee murder again. The same with lesser crimes. We are bowing to a group of citizens who most likley do a crime themselves.

ed gaul | October 31, 2007 6:27 AM link

I feel the cases should be looked at individually, without age considerations. If someone committes a crime judge him by the crime not by was he too young to realize what he was doing, because the past predicts the future. Greg Price would now be free if his actions did not keep him jailed. Imagine a multi killer loose because he was young when he took several lives. Think about what you will be exposing the general public too and how you would feel seeing that youth free to live his life and committee murder again. The same with lesser crimes. We are bowing to a group of citizens who most likley do a crime themselves. I do not want my name published!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ed | October 31, 2007 6:29 AM link

October 30, 2007

House committee OKs repeal of law on 17-year-olds

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