Seventeen-year-olds would no longer automatically enter the adult court system in Massachusetts under a bill that won unanimous approval Wednesday in the House of Representatives. The change, if adopted by the Senate and signed by Gov. Deval Patrick, would mean that 17-year-olds would be tried in juvenile court and serve sentences in juvenile detention facilities rather than in state prisons. Bill [H 1432] now heads to the Senate for its consideration
For additional information on juvenile law see our page Massachusetts Law About the Juvenile Justice System.
