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California Will Limit Prosecuting Teens Younger Than 16 As Adults Starting Jan. 1

  •  Steve Milne 
Friday, December 21, 2018 | Sacramento, CA
Beth Cortez-Neavel / Flickr
 

Beth Cortez-Neavel / Flickr

Starting Jan. 1 prosecutors in California will no longer be able to try teenagers younger than 16 accused of murder, rape or other serious crimes as adults.

Daniel Mendoza, 23, supports the new law. Nine years ago he was tried as an adult for murder, but ended up in the juvenile system where he was required to continue school.

He told state lawmakers earlier this year that staying out of adult prison saved him from becoming a lifelong criminal.

"With time I started to grow and mature through the help of caring adults and services provided at the juvenile institution," Mendoza said.

Mendoza graduated from UC Davis earlier this year with a degree in Sociology.

"Even youth accused of committing the most serious crimes should not be disposable," he said. "We can grow, we can change and contribute to our communities."

Under the new law, 14-and-15-year-old defendants will be held in juvenile facilities instead of adult prison. District attorneys argue the judicial system needs to adequately punish the most heinous criminals, regardless of their age.


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    More about New California Laws 2019

  • New California Laws For 2019

    Every year hundreds of new California laws take effect Jan. 1. Many of them won't have much effect on your daily life. Here's a closer look at some that might in 2019.

 New California Laws 2019

Steve Milne

Morning Edition Anchor & Reporter

Steve is the Morning Edition anchor for Capital Public Radio. He covers stories on a wide range of topics including: business, education, real estate, agriculture and music.  Read Full Bio 

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