ATLANTA — Some Republicans in the Georgia legislature are trying to push through a bill that would let 17-year-olds charged with most crimes be tried in juvenile court.
Right now, 17-year-olds are automatically considered adults in the eyes of the law.
State officials said 6,500 17-year-olds are charged with crimes as adults every year in Georgia. Suspects 16 and younger are charged in juvenile courts. Advocates said 17-year-olds should also face criminal charges in juvenile courts.
"The concept in juvenile court is rehabilitation. The concept in adult court is more retribution," said Greg Price, a juvenile court judge in Floyd County.
RELATED: Buckhead group leader demands federal investigation of Fulton County courts, district attorney
Polly McKinney of Voices for Georgia Children is among those arguing 17 is too young for adult justice.
"The brain continues to develop until a kid is about 25 years old," McKinney said. "(It's) why, historically, people make jokes about teenage behavior – and kids are a little bit unpredictable. That’s because their brains are developing."
The bill would still give prosecutors leeway to try 17-year-olds and even younger teens for a list of serious crimes in adult court, including murder, rape aggravated assault, and aggravated child molestation.
In a state that has long embraced toughness against criminals – the bill’s sponsor said sending thousands of now-adult cases to juvenile court can be a tough sell.
RELATED: Teens caught jaywalking in Buckhead lead to guns, drugs and tools to commit break-ins, police say
"There’s just a lot of inertia in government. This is a significant change in our policy," said state Rep. Mandi Ballinger (R-Canton), chairman of the House Juvenile Justice Committee.
But Ballinger thinks it would advance the cause of guiding 17-year-olds away from criminal tendencies.
"Recidivism actually decreases significantly over time if they’re adjudicated in juvenile court," she said.
Advocates said Georgia is one of three states - including Wisconsin and Texas - that still routinely send 17-year-olds into the adult court system. The rest do it at 18.
MORE HEADLINES