SB 685 – Requires children under the age of 18 to be prosecuted for most criminal offenses in juvenile courts unless the child is certified as an adult

• Sponsor: Wallingford
• LR Number: 4889S.01I
• Committee: Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence
• Last Action: 4/19/2016 - Hearing Conducted S Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee
• Effective Date: August 28, 2016

Current Bill Summary

SB 685 - Under current law, children who are 17 years of age are prosecuted for criminal offenses in courts of general jurisdiction.

This act provides that, unless the child is certified as an adult or is being prosecuted for a traffic or curfew violation, children who are 17 years of age must be prosecuted in the juvenile court system.

In addition, this act provides that no person under the age of 18 may be detained in an adult jail unless the person has been certified as an adult.

Current law allows offenders who are under 17 and a half years of age and have been certified as adults to be eligible for dual jurisdiction of both the juvenile and adult criminal codes. Dual jurisdiction allows an offender who has been found guilty in an adult court to complete a juvenile sentence in a Division of Youth Services facility. This act provides that offenders under the age of 18 are eligible for the program.

This act is similar to HB 1812 (2016), is identical to SB 213 (2015), and is substantially similar to HB 300 (2015).

MEGHAN LUECKE