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ANNAPOLIS, Md. —
Legislation changing the way juveniles can be charged advanced on Friday at the Maryland State House.
It comes as a Senate committee voted, 10-1, to send the Youth Charging Reform Act to the full Senate for consideration.
The bill repeals five crimes that, under current law, automatically charge juveniles as adults. It’s a compromise, and while it doesn’t end automatic charging, it shortens the list of crimes eligible.
A watered-down version of the controversial Youth Charging Reform Act is advancing.
“It’s just a more efficient way to do it. It’s going to have better public safety outcomes, better outcomes from the youth,” said Montgomery County Sen. Will Smith, D-District 20, the bill’s co-sponsor.
The bill repeals charging offenses of children ages 16 and 17 for possession, sale or transfer of a firearm, the use of a firearm in a drug crime, the use of a firearm with a felony drug conviction, first-degree assault and wearing, carrying or transporting a handgun.
The most serious crimes, including murder, rape and armed robbery, would still result in adult charges. Murder and rape charges against people ages 14 and 15 would also begin in adult court.
“This bill is about where the process starts,” said Baltimore County Sen. Charles Sydnor, D-District 44.
“So, why don’t we do the efficient thing and let the judge make the decision, and if the judge decides to start the case in juvenile court, the state’s attorney still has the right to move it to the adult court,” said Baltimore County Sen. Chris West, R-District 42.
Committee members vigorously debated the legislation. Frederick County Sen. William Folden, R-District 4, read headline after headline of juvenile crimes committed across the state to punctuate his point.
“Possession, opportunity, execution. When I say execution, people are losing their lives. We are going to pull back the enforcement that has worked, that has changed and curbed the violence,” Folden said.
Response:
One of the ” challenges” the State has faced recently on the issue of public safety, in the realm of “juvenile crime” the State of Maryland. The State in 2022 passed a law that under the age of 13 you can’t charge a minor with most crimes. The crime in the State started to increase committed by children under 13. By 2024 it was reported that crime by minors had a 63% percent increase in car thefts & 220% percent increase in hike in youth handgun violations. In 2024 the Maryland Sheriff’s Association called for the resignation of the State’s Secretary of Juvenile Services Vincent Schiraldi ““Law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Maryland have grown increasingly frustrated with the Department of Juvenile Services’ inability and disinterest in holding violent juvenile offenders account for their actions,” the MSA wrote to Gov. Wes Moore. “Consistently in Maryland, juveniles have been charged with serious violent crimes, only to be turned right back over to a parent or guardian, and back out on the streets to commit more crimes.”“Secretary Schiraldi’s policies are dangerous and sadly result in creating new victims on a daily basis,” the MSA letter adds.” In June 0f 2025 Secretary Schiraldi did “step down” the Moore Administration “dragged its feet on this despite “the scrutiny” for almost a year..
This state juvenile justice commission that is being recommended the end of automatically charging youths as adults in Maryland, but state leaders are not on the same page about the best path forward. Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates has some “concerns”
“Bates notes Maryland already went down a similar path in 2022 when the General Assembly passed the Juvenile Justice Reform law, which mandated that children younger than 13 may not be charged with a crime unless it is a violent offense.
Lawmakers changed that provision in 2024, codifying that children as young as 10 can be referred to the juvenile justice system for certain nonviolent crimes.
“It was such a terrific failure that the governor and everybody modified the law two years later. Are we going to go through that again, for listening to the public defender’s office on this one? The issue is they’re not prepared to handle the cases, we’re not prepared to handle the cases and there are no programs for these kids,” Bates said.” Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates 12-01-25 WPYR
Recently in Baltimore City & down on the Eastern shore there has been some incidents of juvenile Crime, where 6 teens were arrested for a crime spree, and in Salisbury 2 teens have been charged with murder.
Since mid 2022 there has definitely been some “improvements” on the issue of public safety in the State of Maryland, however the Moore Administration “dragged its feet” on accountability on juvenile services with the issue of juvenile crime, also we don’t want to let the State go backwards on the progress that has been made which could happen especially if legislation like this passes.