Wisconsin Considers Keeping Non-Violent Teen Offenders In Juvenile Court

Wisconsin is moving slowly towards changing the age at which teenagers are automatically treated as adults when they commit a crime. A bill introduced Thursday would allow 17-year-olds who commit nonviolent crimes to be tried in juvenile court.

If it passes, the bipartisan bill would change a 1996 law that requires all 17-year-olds – no matter what their crime – be tried as adults. Wisconsin is one of only 11 states that treats teenage offenders under 18 as adults. Former Dane County Judge Patrick Fiedler says the change the bill proposes is long overdue. “I believe it does make our community safer to give nonviolent, first-time-offending 17-year-olds a second chance,” he said. “It’s time for Wisconsin to look forward and return non-violent 17-year-olds to juvenile court and truly give them a second chance.”

Some backers of the bill, like Milwaukee state Rep. Fred Kessler, would like to see the change affect 17-year-olds who commit both violent and non-violent crimes. Kessler predicts this more moderate change will keep a lot of juvenile offenders out of adult prisons where they are likely to go on to become adult offenders. “The number of kids who are referred to the criminal justice system will decrease in the future, and we will have a better chance of making good kids out of these kids who made one mistake.”

The bill may face opposition from Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, who says judges already have the ability to send non-violent 17-year-olds to juvenile court. Backers of the bill say that’s not the case. They point to studies that show 17-year-olds tried in the juvenile system are less likely to commit new crimes.