Among those in adult state prisons, seven in 10 were arrested before the age of 19. As of 2023, over 30,000 people were incarcerated in the U.S. for crimes they committed as children.
Recent reforms in Georgia aim to address the impact of adolescent brain development and provide rehabilitative opportunities to combat these trends.
Georgia House Bill 462 (HB 462), also known as the “Raise the Age Act,” marks one of those efforts. If passed, it would allow youth aged 17 and under to be tried as minors in the Juvenile Justice system, adjusting from the current age of 16.
State Rep. Beth Camp is one of the bill’s sponsors. In pushing for the bill, she has fought to highlight the irony of what we expect of our youth.
“When you are 17, you cannot sign a contract, or vote,” Camp said. “There are lots you can’t do, yet when you commit crimes, you are held in adult jail, if prosecuted, and sentenced like an adult.”
While adult justice systems focus on punishment, juvenile systems are geared towards rehabilitation. The bill would alter the housing and processing of youth offenders and provide alternatives as opposed to entering adult facilities. Advocates, like Camp, say these changes reflect the reality of children’s lives before, during and after incarceration.
“First off, they are being held in a jail with adults, adults often are in there for really bad things, who can talk someone into doing more bad things,” Camp said. “Unfortunately, when you have individuals who have trouble finding work because of a criminal record or can’t get into college, that can be detrimental to someone’s future. That’s why you get lifetime criminals.”
HB 462 was first brought to the floor in 2023, where it passed the state house, but failed in the senate. No other representatives have reintroduced the bill since. Camp still believes changes to the juvenile system are imperative and that the bill, and others like it, have a future.
“I would like to see more recognition that adolescence continues into early 20s,” Camp said. “I think we need to recognize that if we do anything and hurt a juvenile with what they can do in the future, it is going to hurt them. I hope the juvenile justice system takes that into consideration.”
Research from Point Park University indicates youth recidivism rates exceed 80% in select areas of the United States. In Georgia alone, 4.6 million citizens have a criminal history. Camp believes the Raise the Age Act could combat youth recidivism rates in the state.
“Individuals in our state who have a criminal history or record, most of it happens before someone is 20 years old,” Camp said. “They are youthful mistakes that someone who is 60-years-old is still in trouble for because it is showing up on their criminal history.”
In Georgia, children are not entirely without legislation that acknowledges their development. “The First Offender Act,” enacted in 1968, allows first-time offenders under 18 to avoid conviction and a permanent criminal record through alternatives like probation and rehabilitation for certain circumstances and crimes and rehabilitation for certain circumstances and crimes.
State representative Leesa Hagan said the act holds continued importance. She acknowledges that offering juvenile offenders a second chance comes with an understanding that children make mistakes.
“I don’t want someone who is young to make a mistake and follow them for the rest of their lives,” Hagan said. “When I was a younger person, I know there are things I did that I would never do today. I think it is important that we show grace and compassion to people and encourage them to make good choices.”
Researchers have continuously found that the brain fully matures around the age of 25. As a result, adolescents — children between the ages of 10 and 19 — are more likely than adults to make impulsive or emotionally-driven decisions.
“Seventeen-year-old brains aren’t fully developed enough and can’t fully grasp the consequences of their decisions,” Camp said. “For that reason, a person who makes a poor mistake at 16 and 17 should not have one decision affect their life.”
Given that biological limitation, lawmakers are concerned with how juvenile records are kept, and whether those records are available to the public online. House Bill 162 (HB162), aims to amend the Georgia Bureau of Investigation code, enhancing the restriction and sealing of First Offender Act sentences.
“Georgia has had a First Offender Act since the 1960s,” Hagan said. “The whole point of it is to give it to people who make a one-time mistake. They commit a crime that is not one of your more violent crimes; it gives them a chance to not be labeled as an offender. It worked well for decades, but the internet has changed its effectiveness.”
The bill has crossed over to the senate and will be presented in the next legislative session. Hagan believes the bill will likely pass due to its positive reception.
“It passed the House of Representatives unanimously twice, and then it passed at a senate judiciary committee two times unanimously,” Hagan said. “It has been worked on for two years. In the Georgia House and Georgia Senate. We serve two-year terms. Going into the second session of this term, everything is still on the table from last session. It’s been very well received; we just have to get it to the senate.”
According to Hagan, HB162 intends to address technological factors, adapting the First Offender Act to fit the modern world and keep offenders’ juvenile records private — after sentencing in Georgia, they currently aren’t.
“The bill, if passed by the senate, would require records to be sealed when sentencing,” Hagan said. “If they successfully complete [probation], sentences remain sealed. If violated, then all bets are off, records are unsealed and no longer qualify for the First Offender Act.”
Hagan believes the bill can improve the lives of previously incarcerated youth, acting as a turning point and allowing them to return to society without restraint.
“If a first offender completes their sentence, they can say that they have never been convicted,” Hagan said. “It is essentially a nonconviction.”
Infographic by Alex Brendle
House Bill 673 (HB673) offers another extension of this reform. The bill would allow minors to pursue alternate punishments and sentencing, taking into consideration their age and other influences.
“Right now you cannot get [rehabilitative] treatment if you are a minor adjudicated as an adult,” State Rep. Marvin Lim said. “[The bill] creates more of a pathway for minors, but creates limitations to it.”
By “limiting bars,” the bill will provide alternatives to youth incarceration and prolonged sentencing. In doing so, it aims to increase rehabilitative opportunities and prevent recidivism.
Under the bill, offenders under 17 may request rehabilitative treatment if they plead guilty as first-time offenders, deferring a conviction, probation and confinement.
For Lim, the bill holds a personal connection.
“It was brought to me by a person who had an experience where he was treated as an adult, even though he was a juvenile in the criminal justice system,” Lim said. “It was difficult for him to make a life for himself after he finished his sentence, and it showed. Even though we have expanded our treatment, there are still people not getting a chance.”
The bill was introduced late in the 2024-25 legislative session and will continue to be litigated into the 2025-26 session. Lim believes the bill’s implementation will increase representation for first offenders, while supporting community relationships.
“When people, including minors, go out of the juvenile justice system, it hurts their families and then it hurts society and imposes costs around safety,” Lim said. “ [It’s] not a free pass, but it is recognizing that you did offend; you are a first offender, not a zero offender. We will make sure you are rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.”
For Juvenile Justice System Commissioner Shawanda Reynolds, these developments make a meaningful difference for children — and for families.
“As a result, we get to wrap lower, evidence-based programs around them,” Reynolds said. “We are involving families more so they can, in return, support their children. We have services and support and resources. Young people that have not committed serious crimes are not in our facilities, they are in the community.”
Still, Reynolds believes it is important to recognize harmful behaviors within a community’s youths. She said it is beneficial to address an issue’s cause and provide effective resources. Doing so prevents behaviors from becoming detrimental to childhood education or future learning, Reynolds said.
“When kids are only five, very young kids are presenting anger, behavior issues, and I think that because we don’t have the necessary prevention programs, we put the kids out of the class versus working to provide them with counseling and giving parents tools to help them,” she said. “If we can do that, I think we would see less kids coming into our system, and that would be the goal.”
Reynolds explained how factors such as lack of awareness or support can challenge reintegration into society for those looking to start fresh and lead better lives.
“We need to find a way in every community to integrate them back into the community,” Reynolds said. “It is hard to get school districts to accept them. Sometimes, rural areas don’t want them to live in the community. I think awareness would help a lot. There is a fear factor, and people start feeling unsafe and uncomfortable, especially in facilities. I think by spending time with them, we can do better welcoming back into the community and support.”
This article was originally published in The Southerner on November 6, 2025.