By DeVante Young
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The state of Maryland is undergoing massive changes to the ways in which juveniles are being processed for their crimes since the start of the new year.
This is partially the result of a spike in juvenile theft coming into this year, however, Maryland has been deeply in the process of lowering Juvenile conviction.
As of September of last year, the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) has been making consistent strides to improve the court process for juveniles moving forward and to determine the proper outcome for youthful offenders better.
“The Department of Juvenile Services will be supporting legislation to eliminate mandatorily trying youth as adults, returning to Maryland’s courts the discretion to decide which youth should stay in the more rehabilitative and protective youth justice system and which youth require adult prosecution and confinement,” written by the Department of Juvenile Services.
This has been put into practice through the department’s connections with individual youthful offenders, families, juvenile defenders, and community organizations.
Big Brother Big Sister is one of the many organizations dedicated to youth crime prevention and juvenile justice reform.
Sylvia Gutierrez, Chief Program Officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area, recognizes the importance of community engagement as well as reestablishing the relationships between law enforcement and the youth to prevent arrest and potential conviction further.
“We have to recognize that so much of the process comes with bridging the gap between the community and law enforcement,” said Gutierrez.
Big Brothers Big Sisters serves youth across the country, although Gutierrez covers the areas of Washington D.C., Virginia, and Maryland.
“There are a lot of people that want to help, and there has been a lot of change. We are seeing a positive increase, but a lot of youth have had negative experiences.”
This seems to be the best course of action as Maryland legislators work to continue refining the juvenile justice system in the state.
However, with changes occurring in the House and Senate, there should be some improvements for prosecutors in the future to provide juveniles with fair and proper sentencing or counseling.