LANSING, Mich — Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) has issued the following statement after she testified in front of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee in support of the “Raise the Age” bill package. The legislation is supported by both Democrats and Republicans, and would treat 17-year-olds as juvenile offenders in the eyes of the law, rather than as adults.
“The next generation of our workforce should be applying to jobs, community college or learning a trade, not sitting in prison. This legislation is the first step in ending the school-to-prison pipeline that sets our young people on an unforgiving path for their rest of their lives. Countless studies, experts, and research in criminal justice agree: Youth incarceration of non-violent offenders has shown no improvement in public safety. It’s time for Michigan to join the majority of other states, and recognize we are doing more harm than good by keeping the current law in place.”
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