Juvenile justice, what to do about young people caught up in crime, is a huge issue in this year’s session of the Maryland General Assembly.
After weeks of public hearings and committee discussion, the full House and Senate are close to debating changes to policy, just two years after previous reforms.
To understand what's at issue and what may come out of the General Assembly’s debate over juvenile justice, we turn to Brenda Wintrode, who covers state politics for our news partner The Baltimore Banner.
There is not an emerging crisis with young people involved in crime, Wintrode says, but widely reported incidents are spurring lawmakers to revisit policy.
We ask her how lawmakers are seeking to change juvenile justice policy, what the state's analysis says about possible reforms and about the journey of the family of NyKayla Strawder, who are pushing for reforms following the murder of their daughter.
