Baltimore State's Attorney Ivan Bates addresses collaborative effort to tackle juvenile crime

BALTIMORE - Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates joined Prince George's County State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy to discuss efforts in tackling juvenile crime in their respective jurisdictions.

Baltimore said it's important that justice is fair and, to make it fair, it's necessary to make changes to the current system.

One piece of legislation they're supporting will seek more oversight when it comes to arresting youth over issues like carjackings.

Bates says they are working to speed up the process after a teen is arrested to make sure action is swift and closure is brought to victims.

"Before the victim is even spoken to or talked to, the case may be 60 days or older," Bates said. "That poor victim has had their car stolen, they've paid restitution, they've paid their insurance, they've done all of that, and now they are asked to be part of the process. For our young people, the research says they have swift and certain consequences and that's what we are trying to make sure we do." 

The legislation is part of a series of bills that will be discussed in the 2024 Legislative Session.

Those other bills include:

• Juvenile Dispositions – Increasing the probationary period of a misdemeanor involving a juvenile illegally wearing, carrying, and/or transporting a firearm OR knowing and willfully taking a motor vehicle without the owner's lawful custody, control, or consent from six TO EIGHTEEN MONTHS while also increasing the probationary period of those found guilty of violent felonies from two to four years maximum.
• Enable a juvenile magistrate to hear cases involving a juvenile charged with illegally possessing a firearm or any auto theft related cases, ensuring that these misdemeanor cases are heard before the courts within 24 hours of charging (excluding weekends and holidays) so the courts can access the juvenile in question. The courts shall inform the Department of Juvenile Services, The State's Attorney's Office, and defense counsel of this "special". Also making changes to MD. CODE &3-9a-19.6 that grants authority to judges to impose penalties for technical violations, including failure to comply with court-ordered treatment and/or services or non-compliance with other conditions of probation. 
• GPS Home Monitoring/House Arrest – In conjunction with Mayor Brandon Scott's legislation around electronic home monitoring, any juvenile found to have violated or breached the contract or perimeter of their home monitoring agreement, the Department of Juvenile Services shall have 24-hours to notify the courts, the prosecutor's office and defense counsel of said breach.
• Parent Responsibility Act – Mandating the Department of Juvenile Services institute a CINS petition when a juvenile violates home monitoring and a parent or legal guardian fails to inform the courts about their child's violation, and possibly add truancy violations to this legislative act to ensure parents are held responsible for their child's actions.
• Motion to Modify – For adult cases, eliminating the five-year cap on motions to modify to allow for the one-time modification to be filed anytime during a person's sentence. 

"Curbing the rise of juvenile crime across Baltimore and this state is a top priority for my office and is in the legislative package that State's Attorney Braveboy and I will advocate for in Annapolis next year," Bates said. "The proposed changes are about equity in our juvenile justice system and are reasonable and effective measures to improve public safety, especially concerning our youthful offenders. While we are pushing for stronger accountability for young people, we are also advocating for restorative measures for incarcerated individuals and changes to reduce the impact on families already dealing with grief from a traumatic event. This is a holistic effort to address communities in need in our respective districts."