Del. Luke Clippinger, a Baltimore Democrat who chairs the Maryland House Judiciary Committee, talks about juvenile justice legislation that passed the Maryland House of Delegates 126-6 during floor debate on Friday, March 1, 2024, in Annapolis, Md. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)
For decades, state legislators and criminal justice advocates have worked to change the juvenile legal system, striving to expand access to rehabilitation and keep young people from returning to crime.
During this year’s legislative sessions, nearly every state has considered some form of juvenile justice legislation, according to a National Conference of State Legislatures database .
These efforts across at least 43 states plus Washington, D.C., have seen varied levels of success and come from a diversity of viewpoints. Some legislatures considered policies that would create alternatives to incarcerating teens, while others debated bills that would toughen potential penalties for kids as young as 10 years old. Criminal justice advocates warn that strict new policies could roll back previous overhauls of the system.