Raise Juvenile Court Jurisdiction to 18

HB 272 raises the age of juvenile court jurisdiction from 17 to 18, ensuring that 17-year-olds charged with most offenses are processed through the juvenile justice system rather than the adult criminal system.

Prior to this bill, Georgia was one of only a handful of states that automatically prosecuted 17-year-olds as adults. Research overwhelmingly shows that youth processed in juvenile court have better outcomes — lower recidivism, higher education completion, and better employment prospects — than those sent through the adult system.

GPS supports this bill because children do not belong in adult prisons. The juvenile system, while imperfect, is designed for rehabilitation and development. Sending 17-year-olds to adult facilities exposes them to violence, trauma, and conditions that make reoffending more likely, not less.