House panel votes to raise age of criminal responsibility from 17 to 18
The House Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee on Wednesday voted to approve a bill that would raise the age of criminal responsibility in Texas from 17 to 18.
The proposal would affect thousands of 17-year-olds who encounter the criminal justice system by sending their cases to the juvenile justice system, a bone of contention for advocates and critics. Advocates say the crimes that 17-year-olds commit and their treatment needs are similar to 16-year-old offenders, who go into treatment programs under the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Seventeen-year-olds are minors in all other aspects of society, bill supporters say.
"As legislators, we have to remember that we live in the real world," House Bill 122 co-author and state Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, said in January. "We live in a world where children act like children, and we shouldn't expect them to be adults when we treat them as children for everything else."
Critics point to two concerns: the cost of moving 17-year-olds into the juvenile justice system and making room for them. State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, shared in February concerns from a Harris County Juvenile Probation Department official:
Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2017/03/22/texas-house-panel-raise-the-age-criminal-responsibility/
