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Bills Aim To Send Non-Violent 17 Year Olds Back To Juvenile System

telegraphtoday.com

  A bill in the Wisconsin Senate would return non-violent, first-time 17 year old offenders to juvenile court instead of adult court.

A spokesperson for the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families...Jim Moeser says they back the bill. Moeser says that group has been working for several years to get non-violent youthful offenders back into the juvenile system...

".....we've gathered strong bi-partisan support, so we're pleased to see the introduction of a bill to try and move that forward. We've had a couple of other bills fall short because of funding reasons. We hope this one works...."

The bill allows offenders with a history of violence to continue to stay in the adult system. Moeser says data shows offenders moved through the juvenile system are less likely to reoffend. Moeser says a key provision is non-violent offenders would not have an adult criminal past follow them as they move on with their lives.

The bill is still waiting for introduction in the Assembly. The bill has gathered 71 sponsors from both sides of the aisle in the legislature.

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