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Ombudsman: Move 19-20 year olds back to TYC

Reacting to news that the number of youth certified to stand trial as adults in Texas increased 30.9% after the passage of SB 103 in 2007, TYC's independent ombudsman recommended "that the Texas Legislature restore TYC?s jurisdiction over youths serving determinate sentences until they reach their 21st birthdays. TYC will maintain its existing policy of segregating students by age."According to the report by the Ombudsman's office (pdf), which was requested by state Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, "today?s higher adult certification rates are a serious, unintended consequence of an otherwise well-intentioned legislative change that reduced the maximum age of TYC jurisdiction and control from 21 to 19."The new trend is especially pronounced among defendants who commit crimes at age 16 but don't make it into court until after their 17th birthday:Although 17-year-olds are ordinarily not eligible for commitment to TYC because of their age, the numbers above represent those children who committed crimes while under the age of 17, but appeared in court after their 17th birthdays...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on January 28, 2009 (boomark / email).