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House Bill 48 makes changes to Utah’s juvenile justice system, including better data collection and oversight of juvenile facilities. However, the bill also removes protections that keep minors out of adult prisons and allows prosecutors to ask judges to move teenagers from youth facilities to adult prisons after sentencing under certain circumstances.
That is why Libertas Institute opposes HB 48 from Rep. Karianne Lisonbee.
While the bill’s data collection and accountability provisions may improve system transparency, the juvenile transfer provision goes against proven best practices. Research shows that moving youth to adult prisons increases crime rather than reducing it. Youth in adult prisons face serious dangers like assault and gang recruitment while losing access to education and counseling programs that help them turn their lives around.
Utah’s current system already lets juvenile justice experts move dangerous youth when needed, without turning it into a courtroom fight. The bill’s good parts could be kept while removing the transfer language that undermines Utah’s successful approach to reducing youth crime
