Taylor-sponsored legislation provides additional options within the juvenile court system
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 2, 2025
(NASHVILLE) As 2025 begins, there are new Tennessee laws that will go into effect. January 1, 2025 will be the first date that certain laws passed by the General Assembly in the last legislative session will go into effect. Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) cracked down on crime while providing juveniles more options.
“I am happy to announce that due to Senate Bill 624, juveniles will be prevented from avoiding consequences of their actions,” said Taylor. “Cracking down on crime is a must. We must continue to pursue new and innovative ways to ensure that Tennesseans are safe from criminals.”
On January 1, the new law that Taylor sponsored is:
Blended sentencing for juvenile offenders prevents juveniles from avoiding the consequences of the crimes. Additionally this bill incentivizes convicted juveniles who have worked to turn their lives around. The new law allows for a juvenile convicted in criminal court to receive a ‘blended sentence’, so the juvenile would serve both a juvenile and adult sentence – keeping them in prison up to age 24. Currently, if a juvenile is convicted of a violent offense, there are only two options. One option is to handle the case in the juvenile court system where the juvenile offender will be released at age 19 with their record expunged. The other option is to try that juvenile in adult court if the offense is violent enough. Then, if convicted, the juvenile will be incarcerated in adult prison. This new blended sentencing law offers a third option for the offender to be treated as a juvenile delinquent until age 19 and then be given an adult sentence until age 24. It closes loopholes that enabled juveniles to commit serious, violent offenses.
###