State House Democratic Whip Robert Kosowski, D-Westland, along with a bipartisan group of lawmakers, held a press conference Tuesday to discuss a juvenile justice reform bill package now headed to the House floor.
The conference was held following the House Criminal Justice Committee meeting, during which time the package of bills, one of which Kosowski introduced, was approved.
“Intervening in the life of a teenager who is struggling or making mistakes is crucial if done at the right time. This legislation will help us do just that,” Kosowski said.
Kosowski’s bill would require the State Court Administrative Office to report the number of youth offenders charged as adults, along with their demographic information, offense
committed, sentence received and recidivism rate.
“Putting juvenile offenders in prison with hardened adult criminals is unlikely to be the best approach at turning around that troubled young person,” Kosowski said.
With the information that his legislation will provide, “we will see exactly what effects this processes causes, and how we can improve our approach and, in turn, improve,” he said.
