Raising the Age of Juvenile Jurisdiction in Louisiana

• In Event: Raising the Age of Juvenile Court Jurisdiction versus Transfer to Adult Criminal Court: Critical Issues

Abstract

The rationale and improvements associated with processing criminal acts of those below the age of 18 is well established. Some states are even arguing these gains should be applied to transitional adult-aged populations. Louisiana is one of nine states remaining with an upper age of juvenile jurisdiction under 17. Tasked by the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 73 (2015), the LSU Health New Orleans’ Institute for Public Health & Justice was requested, “to study the current state of juvenile justice and criminal justice systems to understand the potential impact of raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction to include seventeen-year olds.” Raising the age refers generally to the movement to ensure that most youth who are less than 18 years old be tried in the juvenile rather than the adult court system. Since 2007, various states have moved in this direction, including Connecticut in 2007, followed by three states in 2013 and 2014 (IL, MA, NH). This session will present the findings of the Louisiana study and engage participants in a discussion of the issues of raising the age, the challenges and support for implementing such efforts, and thinking through some of the discrepancies in research and theory around age mandates.

Authors

• Stephen Phillippi, Institute for Public Health and Justice at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

• Ellen McCann, George Mason University

• Rebecca Atkinson, LSU School of Public Health