A bill to repeal Louisiana’s 2016 “Raise the age” law passes a Senate committee without objection. The law assures all persons under 18 who commit serious crimes are tried in juvenile court. The bill seeks to make that age limit 17. Speaking for it, state Attorney General Jeff Landry, who referenced a terrible New Orleans carjacking last month, in which a woman was dragged to death. The persons arrested were all minors.
“Under the Raise the Age law, that was passed several years ago, none of the offenders of that horrific crime would be tried as adults,” says Landry.
The “Raise the age” law was part of a criminal justice reform package, pushed by Governor John Bel Edwards during his first year in office. Passed in 2016, it took effect in March 2019, and provides that – for court and trial purposes – “child” means anyone under 21 who commits a crime before age 18. Monroe Senator Stewart Cathey’s bill would return that definition to “before age 17”. Eighteenth JDC District Attorney Tony Clayton says it’s time to get rid of “Raise the Age.”
Clayton says “It’s not working. Give me the strength or the arms to go back and fight. Are we gonna throw every kid away at 17? No, but if you arm yourself with a weapon and unjustifiably suck the life out of another human being…then you forfeit your right to walk around here with the rest of us.”
Among those opposing the bill was Rachel Gassert, with the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights. She says the 2016 law merely stops the automatic routing of 17-year-olds through the adult court system, and she says the measure is unnecessary.
“Current law, meaning if we did not repeal this legislation, kids charged with murder can still be tries as adults, so…I don’t see how the question is relevant,” said Gassert.
Passed without objection by Senate Judiciary B committee members, the bill moves to the Senate floor.
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