News from the Senate Majority
Alaska State Legislature
Wendy Lindskoog, Senate Majority Press
Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
Phone: 907/465-4582
web site: http://www.akrepublicans.org
Broadcast Actualities: 800/478-6540
For Immediate Release: April 14, 1997 Contact: Senator Dave Donley, 907/465-3892
Senate Agrees To Treat Minors Who Commit Multiple Violent Crimes With Deadly Weapons As Adults
Juneau -- The Alaska Senate agreed Monday that minors, 16 or older who for the second time use a deadly weapon to commit a violent crime, should be prosecuted as adults. Senate Bill 63 passed unanimously.
"Violent juveniles are a growing danger to our neighborhoods. They know the effects of their crimes and they know that current law is more lenient on juveniles," said bill sponsor Senator Dave Donley (R-Anchorage). "I hope that the fear and possible consequences of being tried in adult court will help curb their appetite for vicious acts involving deadly weapons."
Donley noted that the Anchorage Police Department compiled 1995 data which revealed a 200% increase in arrests of juveniles for violent crimes between 1990 and 1994.
"If we are going to reverse this disturbing trend, we need to let our youth know that there is a price to pay for violent crime," Donley said.
SB63 would prosecute minors as adults who:
A 'deadly weapon' means any firearm, or anything designed for and capable of causing death or serious physical injury, including a knife, an axe, a club, metal knuckles, or an explosive.
While SB63 would try repeat juvenile offenders in adult court, it does not require a mandatory sentence or any specified punishment. It also maintains that minors who are convicted of adult crimes, if incarcerated, are required by law to be segregated from adult prison populations as defined by AS 47.12.240.
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