LANSING — Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit), the lead sponsor on legislation to raise the age of convicted individuals in Michigan prosecuted as adults from 17 to 18, has issued the following statement after an agreement was reached this morning in the Senate Judiciary Committee that resolved differences between the House and Senate versions of the bills about how to structure the Raise the Age Fund: 

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Youth incarceration of nonviolent offenders stands to benefit no one, and we have no time to waste when it comes to this issue. I am grateful that my colleagues in the House and Senate came together, set their political differences aside and found common ground for establishing the Raise the Age Fund. The futures of our incarcerated young people need to remain a priority focus, and I look forward to the continued advancement of these bills through the legislature all the way to the governor’s desk, where justice will be delivered to our youth when they are signed into law.” 

###