Senator Serrano is a proud co-sponsor of the Raise the Age Legislation (Senate Bill: S5642A of 2015) and will continue to fight for the passage of this important legislation. Every year nearly 28,000 sixteen and seventeen-year-olds face the possibility of prosecution as adults in criminal court. As research has shown, placing adolescents in an adult criminal justice system is counterproductive for both the defendant and for public safety.

The human brain is not fully formed until the age of 25, and treating children as adults has serious consequences. Adolescents that are tried as adults are much more likely to suffer physical and emotional abuse. Individuals forced to endure the trauma caused by being incarcerated in an adult facility are 34% more likely to commit similar crimes once released. These shocking statistics not only show the problems caused by a broken system, but also a need for change in order to decrease the recidivism rates and increase public safety. We cannot continue to wait to fix this broken system. The time is now to ensure that we raise the age to create a more balanced criminal justice system and Senator Serrano looks forward to continuing this important fight.