Dave was thrilled to attend his first bill signing with Governor Patrick as the Governor signed into law a bill that Dave co-sponsored, An Act Expanding Juvenile Jurisdiction. The law provides that a teenager will not, under most circumstances, be be tried as an adult until age 18. The law — long overdue — will allow young offenders the opportunity to turn around their lives through counseling and rehabilitation in the juvenile justice system, althogh some serious crimes still will be prosecuted in the adult system. In passing this legislation, Massachusetts joins the vast majority of states (39 others) who have made this reform. This legislation represents a step towards the realization that it is not enough to be “tough on crime,” we also have to be “smart on crime”. While appropriate punishment and the deterrence of crime is incredibly important, equally important is that our criminal justice system gives offenders a chance to turn their lives around. Housing repeat offenders in our jails and prisons is incredibly expensive, hemorrhaging money that could be spent on schools and countless other productive uses. Every young person we can steer away from a troubled path is a huge win for all of us. This law will help us to do just that and achieve justice in the truest sense of that word.
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