Massachusetts justice system wrestles with how to define 'adult'

Massachusetts could be the first state to view 18-year-olds as juveniles in the criminal justice system.

A sweeping criminal justice reform package that would, among other things, raise the age of criminal majority to 19 – meaning that 18-year-olds would be treated as juveniles for most crimes – recently passed in the state Senate.

The House version of the bill left the age of criminal majority at 18 – indicating that not everyone in the state legislature is on board with raising the age. A committee is now tasked with reconciling the two bills before sending the end product to the governor.

If the age of criminal majority at 19 is signed into law, it would mark the highest age of juvenile jurisdiction in the United States. 

The proposal follows on the heels of widespread reform across the country to raise

Shifting perceptions of adulthoodArguments against the increaseMore options could arise