ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — Gov. Wes Moore indicated he supports legislation to end the automatic charging of some juveniles as adults facing certain offenses, despite opposition from top prosecutors across the state.
The Youth Charging Reform Act cleared the General Assembly this week after advocates had pushed for years in Annapolis. The legislation ends the automatic charging of 16- and 17-year-olds who are facing certain offenses, including first degree assault, as well as some drug and weapons charges, as adults; instead, the legislation starts the cases in the juvenile court system.
“I think the legislature, you know, really understood the guidelines that I had that we want to make sure we’re increasing accountability and opportunity,” Gov. Wes Moore said Tuesday when asked about the bill. “I think this is, it feels like the right landing spot that they came to.”
Gov. Moore noted the legislation “still has to go through judicial review” with the attorney general but said he’s “looking forward” to it making it to his desk.
Supporters of the bill argue that most cases end up in the juvenile system regardless, and therefore, it makes sense to start them in the Department of Juvenile Services.
“They’re already ingesting that work anyway; they’re already doing that workload anyway,” Sen. Will Smith previously told FOX45 News. “We’re just wasting time and money by sending them to the adult system first.”
However, several top prosecutors have come out against the legislation, including Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson, Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy, and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess.
“DJS is not equipped to deal with these increased violent offenders, and the legislature should defer the implementation of this bill until the programs are in place,” McCarthy said.
Tuesday, FOX45 News questioned Senate President Bill Ferguson about the concerns from the top prosecutors, who argued he’s confident in the agency’s ability to provide the necessary services to young offenders.
Ferguson noted that DJS were “at the table from the get go,” and pushed to make changes to current policies.
“At the end of the day, I think there was a very strong bipartisan agreement that we don’t believe that even when kids do things wrong, that we want to avoid as much as possible, children under the age of 18 being in adult facilities as an accountability tool,” Ferguson said.
The policy that’s been adopted and sent to Gov. Moore can get young offenders services and resources sooner, Ferguson argued, which would then result in accountability for their actions.
“That’s the objective. We’ll monitor it closely,” he said. “But I feel like we landed in the right spot to get us in a more positive direction.”
If Gov. Moore signs the bill, the legislation would take effect on Oct. 1, 2026.
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