A proposed state law that aims to raise the age at which people accused of crimes are automatically tried as adults was introduced in the California Legislature.
State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, introduced Senate Bill 889, which would raise the age at which suspects in California are tried as adults from 18 to 20.
“When teenagers make serious mistakes and commit crimes, state prison is not the answer,” Skinner said in a news release announcing the bill Tuesday. “Processing teenagers through the juvenile justice system will help
ensure they receive the appropriate education, counseling, treatment and rehabilitation services necessary to achieve real public safety outcomes.”
Skinner worked with the Chief Probation Officers of California, the National Center for Youth Law and “other juvenile justice advocates” to craft the bill, according to the news release.
“Under California law, teenagers can’t buy cigarettes, beer or even rent a car, yet they can be sent to prison for the rest of their lives,” Alameda County Public Defender Brendon Woods said. “Kids should be treated like kids.”
The bill is at least partly based on research that shows the human brain isn’t fully developed in 18- and 19-year-olds, according to the announcement from Skinner’s office.
While it has not yet taken an official position on the bill, officials with the California District Attorneys Association are skeptical.
“The obvious reaction is: you’re 18, you’re old enough to bind yourself in a contract, you’re old enough to marry, you’re old enough to vote, you’re old enough to join a police force and you’re certainly old enough to put your life on the line by joining the military,” said Larry Morse, CDAA’s legislative director.
“But this (bill) would say you’re not old enough to be responsible as an adult for committing a violent crime,” Morse said. “It’s inconsistent and arbitrary at best.”
The bill could be assigned its first committee hearing within a month at the soonest.
State Sen. Nancy ” Soft on Crime ” Skinner.
What else would you expect from Bezerkley ?
Lololololol here we go again! Gotta love Cali
At what age is the human brain fully developed? I don’t believe there a one size fits all answer. I’ve seen people in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, and older, behaving like immature adolescents.
Some people are just plain evil, and evil doesn’t have an age limit.
So true. There are documentaries on children who kill. Some are terrifying psychopaths who shouldn’t be loose in society. Just look at the 12 year old girls in Wisconsin who spent months planning the cold blooded murder of their only other friend. They almost succeeded after stabbing her over a dozen times. No way should those kids go back out into society.
I guess Nancy wants to give kids a license to steal, maim, rape, and kill until they’re 20.
And in the case of politicians, their brains never develop past that of a 10 year old (and I’m being generous)
Totally agree. No matter the age you commit a crime against the law you deserve the punishment.
More liberal insanity.
The way things are going now we will not need a justice system.Maybe we should have an amendment to allow open carry.
Don’t be silly Robert! Why on earth would they allow us to protect ourselves from all the criminals they are releasing. That would be contrary to their point!!
Robert,
We already have one; it’s called the Second Amendment.
//mic drop//
Why not to age 26? After all they are living with their parents. At age 27, maybe they can try and think on their own and make the right decisions.
I say, old enough to do the crime. old enough to do the time.
More crazy dems protecting criminals.
You hire them to do a job and this is what you get.
Remember this when you vote.
The never ending nonsense being spewed forth from our ultra liberal soft on crime politicians is both insane and disgusting. If I thought for one minute there was any hope of ending this clownery and voting them out of office, I might consider staying in California, but as it is, I think I will be voting with my feet.
So what happens if there is a school shooting?
Will Skinner try the kid as a minor and then the firearm as an adult?
The punishment should fit the crime no matter the age.
Give me a gigantic break, lots of teenage crime in California. I agree if you do the crime you deserve to do the time
While we’re at it, let’s have a law that you can abort a child up until age 18.
In the meantime, the age of criminals is getting younger and younger. They know CA won’t incarcerate them.
If “kids should be treated like kids”, then perhaps they should act like kids and not commit armed robbery, home invasion, murder, rape, kidnapping, arson, etc. Also, if their brains are supposedly not fully developed until 20, why is it that young kids are allowed to have abortions without parental consent? Shouldn’t they be required to obtain parental consent up until the age of 20 when their brains are finally fully developed? You can’t have it both ways.
I truly don’t understand how people like this get elected. She’s in a complete fantasy world of feeling sorry for the “kids” who are murdering, raping, stealing and destroying at 18 and 19 years old, as if such actions were just poor judgement. California is closing Juvenile Detention centers because they aren’t good for the kids (although they do protect the community from additional crimes being committed by them), so does this new proposal mean that 18 and 19 year old murderers and rapists will just be sent home to their Mammas on probation for a couple years rather than to prison? Guess who all the gangs will assign to do their assassinations? Yup. The under 20 guys.
P.S. Nancy – If you want to treat them like children in the justice system, then you should support treating them legally like children, which includes removing their right to vote, marry, sign contracts, be independent of their legal guardians, join the military, etc. And maybe you should follow through on your logic about brain development and make the legal age 26 of adulthood. Because science shows the brain continues developing until about that age.
“Kids should be treated like kids.”
Therein lies the problem. The more you make excuses for these “kids” the longer it takes for them to get their sh&t together. Chances are the kids getting in trouble at 18 were also getting in trouble at 13 and 16 as well. So know you’re letting a young MAN commit potentially more violent crimes and you’re going to try him as a kid? Come on Skinner, get your head out of your a#@, or sign up to take the next 20 year old rape offender into your home and provide the appropriate education, counseling, treatment and rehabilitation services necessary to achieve real public safety outcomes.
#exitCA
The state absolutely will not build another prison, so it keeps coming up with
non-solutions that appeal to those who wish to do harm.
18 is fine, leave it alone.
Build ’em!!
Old enough to buy long guns and join the military but not old enough to be criminally prosecuted as an adult. Oh ok makes sense.
As long as you are fine with them not voting then. Can’t have it two ways. I don’t see the Democrats foregoing their easy to influence 18-20 year old demographic.
That sends a really great message. It’s obvious you don’t give a rats ass about the safety of citizens, similar to the BART situation. How the hell do these fools get voted into office.
18 yrs of age is an adult ! Period!!! Nancy, get your head out of your as* and do something to protect the law abiding citizens of CA , not the criminals !!!
We need to take the state back and vote out all democrats. We can’t arm ourselves here and they completely protect the criminals.
I think it should go the other way. 13 and older you are tried as an adult. Or have it at 20 but if you are under that age and convicted, your parents (yes both of them, even if you have never seen your father) do the time for you
I think they are going the wrong way, it should lowered to 14 or 16, with all these “kids” committing grown up crimes (murder, robbery, abuse, assault, possession of illegal substances, etc) they need to taught at a young age that you dont get away with it and go to jail, directly to jail, do not pass go.
I am a CA native and it is really sad to see what has become of our State over the years. It feels like the hardworking law-abiding people are treated like the criminals.
It feels like we are on the Titanic.
I feel a double whammy. I’m not only a California native, but also a San Francisco native, and it’s sickening to watch a once beautiful city and state going down the liberal toilet.
If they are too immature to stand trial as adults, they are too young to vote and all the rest.
Brains not developed yet at 19 and the dems want them to vote at 16. What a joke.
This is insane. There’s a lot of gang members ages 18-20 committing serious felonies, and they should definitely be tried as adults. God help us all with this continuous liberal crap.
Let’s just close all the jails and courts, remove all restrictions on guns and let the best people win.
It won’t take long.
” Morse said. “It’s inconsistent and arbitrary at best.” That it is. Too young for this but not that? How about a law that says anyone over 30 is no longer an adult when it comes to any law on the book? Makes about the same amount of sense.
Yeah, I know we are not suppose to be a 3rd world country and all that jazz. But most of those say their boys are adults at 13 and girls when they can bare a child, also about 13.
No. They aleeady know difference of right & wrong at an early age.
I’ll call Bu11 $hit
If theres a “D” after their name,they are hear to wreck Calif.This doesn’t get voted on by the people BTW,they will vote on it in a small non public session.
All this because they are spending too much and overcrowding their prisons with all the wonderful people that come Calif.
I’m thinking that Skinner’s brain hasn’t fully developed yet and probably never will. It’s time to make those morons in Sacramento part time legislators.
Don’t some cultures have a big party at 15 when the girl is now”an adult”?
She is now a woman.Unless she breaks the law.
Yes, Hispanic cultures have quinceaneras. Although I’ve always thought of that more like the Spanish version of a debutante ball for one…
And don’t forget the bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs when Jewish boys or girls turn 13.
The California liberal demorat politicians work as hard as they can to support and encourage criminals. What have they done for law abiding hard working citizens? Endlessly raise taxes and turn California into a crime ridden third world like country – that’s what they’ve done When you really get down to it, the demorat politicians are themselves nothing more than criminals in fancy cloths.
Old enough to own a handgun, but not to be held responsible for what e
They choose to do with it.
Joe
Yes, “own” at 18
Same old trash coming out of Sacramento people! It’s the new norm and it will continue to deteriorate our state until the liberal majority gets their collective heads out from around their fecal matter! How can they even justify this in their minds? It just amazes me how the liberal majority stands behind people like this! They’ll defend their politicians to the death (of our state).
This is an example of how some people are very angry. I hope this guy really gets the book thrown at him for his outrageous violent behavior. Prayers for the disabled injured young man.
What’s next….
Car break ins… no issue….oh sorry…
assault… oh they had a bad day….
Armed robbery… their good boys….
Home invasion….oh c’mon they had the wrong address
Murder…it’s nots their fault they had a bad upbringing….
No wonder people are leaving this liberal state at record numbers……
If state prison were the only answer, fewer of them might make poor choices.
I totally agree with the California District Attorneys Association position. (and a lot of previous posters)
You can’t have it both ways.
I remember in the 70s when 18-year-olds complained that they were old enough to be drafted but not old enough to vote, and the voting age got lowered.
Now they’re going in the other direction.
They can’t have it both ways… you can’t choose when you want to be an adult and when you don’t.
This will cause kids from other troubled states to move to Calif when they are about to turn 18 to join the Calif crime wave.No joke.Some parents too will see this as a way that junior won’t have to go to prison-yet.
The violent human beings’ ages are irrelevant.
Punishment should be commensurate to the crime…… up to and including lethal injection if they have been convicted of murder or of having sexually violated a person.
I am a Democrat.
(I.e. One’s political affiliation has NOTHING to do with this “poor baby” discussion.)
How about having them wait until they are 20 years old before they can get a driver’s license?
NO JUST NO!!!! Why has personal accountability gone non existent?
Maybe the law does need to be reviewed, it’s obvious that Skinner’s brain is not fully developed at her age.
108RS
Once again…this is what you get when you have single-party rule in a state! How about a law which prevents people over 60 from being tried as an adult? Or, we could just assume that no Liberal in this state is an adult. Where will this lunacy end?
“Or, we could just assume that no Liberal in this state is an adult.”
Works for me. It’s pretty apparent to me that the people voting these idiots in do not have developed brains, since they can’t seem to comprehend what is going on here! As Salty says below, you just need to look at recent cases to know this is wrong! WAKE UP CALIFORNIA!! Either that or just continue to stick your heads in the sand. California politics is the laughing stock of the country, and for VERY good reason! The majority of California voters are apparently blind and ignorant idiots!!
If they aren’t old enough to prosecute as an adult, they aren’t old enough to vote or have any other adult privilege’s!
I heard that people in the 1990s got so tired of juveniles getting light sentences that they voted to give the District Attorney the power to try juveniles as adults instead of leaving it up to the judge. They called it “direct file.”
Now the pendulum is swinging the other direction. Eventually, after 20 years of the streets being run by criminals, voters will grow tired & the pendulum will swing back in favor of voter’s safety.
They called it “being tough on crime”
They don’t dare mutter those words,because they will spend to much on it,and not their special interests.Guess what,they are hiding the fact that they want to spend the money protecting illegals,not the general population by locking up criminals.The majority of prisoners are democrats and they cant vote,so they don’t want to lock them up.
It is time to stop voting for these people. I can’t even comment on this it is so crazy!
Man, we are really getting soft on crime out here. You reap what you sow.
maybe we should raise the age limit for driving too….at least that way mommy and daddy have to go with him.
This proposal is BULLSH*T.
Copycat
This is the most stupid of all the current stupid one party rule we are seeing California.
Build more prisons and uphold law and order for all ages and we will finally get back to law and order.
Period.
Another wacko idea from another wacko princess…
Salty here…
WHAT a stupid f#@ing proposal. Let’s see. How old where the Richmond high school kids that gang raped the 14 year old 8 years ago. Or the De La Salle and Ygnacio Valley football rapists 3 to 4 years ago.
YA. Brains not fully developed. BULL$HIT. They no right from wrong. Anyone that defends this and all the other drug dealing, robbing thieving people that are under the age of 18 thinking their brains are not fully developed. Anything PREMEDITATED involves a conscious developed mind.
All you fare left liberals. WHAT IF IT WAS YOUR DAUGHTER’S the above teenage ANIMALS hurt.
YA DIFFERENT STORY HUH. Bring em into your house and hug em.
WAKE UP!!!
Salty OUT!!!
Deadly High Scool violence has escalated nationwide. I can’t think of a less appropriate time for this useless piece of legislation.
Salty here.
These are the kinda kids that will also graduate to pushing some dude out of his wheelchair like the A$$hole at Pleasant Hill Target..
But hey maybe he shoulda been treated as a YOUTH..
WAKEUP.
Salty Out again..
I just found out that Gavin Newsom just made a law that as of Jan 1st 2020 there will be no more new private prisons and no more new immigration detention centers built in California because it causes “over incarceration” he says too many prison cause people to go to prison.By 2028,all immigration detention centers and all private prisons will no longer exist in California,by law.Easy to look this up.The only good part of the law says they have to keep these prisons open indefinetly if it is ordered by a judge to ease overcrowding.Most never heard of this,i did for the foist tome today.
Good old Newscum.
Gavin Newsom does not make laws. He’s not the King of California.
It’s California’s Assembly Bill 32 (2019-2020) which passed 65-11-3 in the house and 33-6-1 in the senate. Local state assembly members Tim Grayson (AD14) and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (AD16) plus state senator Steve Glazer (SD7) all voted “yes.” Governor Newsom signed it on 10/11/2019.
The law only applies to state prison inmates. It does not apply to immigration detention centers as those are federal facilities. The law allows for state prisons on private property leased by the state and with the prison operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The two main private prison contracts are to house prisoners in Arizona (La Palma Correctional Facility) and Mississippi (Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility. Both of those contracts are due to court orders to prison overcrowding and thus are not affected by this law. There are about 9,000 California prisoners being held at these facilities.
It appears AB32 will have no affect on the current prison system. I doubt it will have any affect on any future prison contracts as those can be structured under the prison overcrowding exception in AB32.
AB32 allows for private prisons in California to house people other than California state prison inmates. I doubt those will ever be common as the cost of land, construction, and labor is higher in California than in places such as Mississippi.
Governor Newsom is certainly not the King of California. More like the Mayor of Weenie Town.
WC whatever you just said has nothing to do with what im talking about,there are state immigration centers and private prisons in Calif,nothing to do with inmates you refer to,these facities will no longer exist ON A STATE LEVEL (listen ,kid)”the law only applies to state prison inmates” what are you talking about,im talking about buildings and yards no longer being used,youre disagreeing with something I didn’t even say.Gd luck on the left..And Newsom is what decided this should be a law,so like I said and YOU said,Newsom just made this into a law.Feel better now?
If you do the crime you MUST do the time, REGARDLESS OF AGE.
There should be NO minimum age. There are many crimes committed by people under 18 who know that nothing will be done to punish them.
OMG. If you’re worried about kids spending life in prison, change the statutes. Teenagers should be developed enough to know they shouldn’t MURDER. Stop making excuses for killers. You’ve got to get to know your legislators and pester them (link above). They need to start repealing old bills like this—not creating more!
The liberals with their second chance opportunities for young criminals is way out of control. I guess their argument is that the 18 or 19 year old brain isn’t developed enough to comprehend the impact of committing crimes?
Well perhaps 18 year old adults are not as fully developed emotionally as your average 35 year old, but I was at least smart enough to know as a teenager not to steal, rob, rape or murder!!!! Going to school and getting a good education was my top priority back then.
Sorry Cali legislators….if you are old enough to vote, drive and even participate on a jury, then you are old enough to stand trial for your criminal actions.
What does all this BS mean? Just another attempt to correct the failures of the “new age” parents who want their precious little criminal minded angels to get second and third chances to change their lives. But it never happens.
They still end up in and out of the prison system, having no remorse for their actions and assaulting people in wheelchairs who might have said something to their hood rat girlfriend.
7 of 10 felons are registered democrats.
Source-Washington Examiner.
Anything they can do to keep as many of them free to vote.(they are so grateful)
The Washington Examiner is not a reliable source of information. Was it in the news or opinion section? Do you have a link to your source?
Well, that’s a dependable source now in’it?