Public Safety
Bill would allow 18 year olds to be sentenced to juvenile institutions
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By JASON KRAFT
Capital News Service
LANSING – Convicted felons who are 18 years old could be sentenced to certain juvenile institutions instead of prison under recently proposed legislation. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Wendell Byrd, D-Detroit, works in tandem with the juvenile reform package introduced in 2015 that raises Michigan’s criminal age from 17 to 18. Byrd’s bill was recently referred to the House Committee on Families, Children and Seniors. A hearing date has not been set. The juvenile reform package introduced last year would mean that 18-year-old offenders would be charged as juveniles instead of adults, said Terri Barker, a legislative aide for Byrd.