Senate Votes to Raise Juvenile Prosecution Age

Another hurdle has been cleared to raising the age at which Missouri residents are considered to be adults….at least in the eyes of the court.  The state Senate has passed bill 793, raising the age of juvenile prosecution.  Under current law, anyone age 17 and over is considered an adult when prosecuted for a crime. Missouri is one of just five states that automatically tries 17-year olds as adults.  This legislation raises the  minimum age to 18 years old. It still allows for children as young as 12 to be tried as adults for serious crimes.  It passed the Senate unanimously and now moves to the House, where a similar proposal was passed last year.