Missouri
Contact Information
Missouri Raise the Age Campaign is a statewide citizen-led campaign that aims to raise the age of juvenile court jurisdiction from 17 to 18 years of age.
Legislation
Bill Number: SB 793
Type of Reform
Raise the Age Reform - Raised the age of juvenile court jurisdiction in Missouri to 18, effective on January 1, 2021. Once implemented, all youth under 18 will start in juvenile court and may only be transferred at the discretion of a juvenile court judge.
Year: 2018
Resolution: SCR 29
Type of Reform
Raise the Age Study - Created a Task Force on Juvenile Court Jurisdiction to study practices which result in charging youth as adults by default, and consider whether to return discretion to the juvenile courts.
Year: 2014
Bill Number: SB 36 “Jonathan's Law”
Type of Reform
Sentencing Reform - Jonathan’s Law raised the age at which youth must be considered for Missouri’s dual jurisdiction from 17 years to 17 years and 6 months.
Year: 2013
Reports
Economic Costs and Benefits of Raise the Age Legislation in Missouri (2017)
This study examines the economic costs and benefits of the proposed Raise the Age legislation in Missouri.
Missouri: Justice Rationed (2013)
This report focuses on delinquency proceedings and whether the due process rights of young defendants are properly protected. The report concludes that the right to counsel for young people in delinquency proceedings is generally denied in the Missouri system, violating the standard established by In re Gault.
The Missouri Model: Reinventing the Practice of Rehabilitating Youth Offenders (2010)
This report highlights the success of the juvenile corrections system in Missouri and its programs facilitating juvenile offenders’ rehabilitation.