AB 1163

Age of juvenile court jurisdiction

This bill raises from 17 to 18 the age at which a person who is alleged to have

violated a criminal law is subject to the procedures specified in the Criminal

Procedure Code and, on conviction, to sentencing under the Criminal Code. The bill

raises from 17 to 18 the age at which a person who is alleged to have violated a civil

law or municipal ordinance is subject to the jurisdiction and procedures of the circuit

court or, if applicable, the municipal court.

Under current law, a person 17 years of age or older who is alleged to have

violated a criminal law is subject to the procedures specified in the Criminal

Procedure Code and, on conviction, is subject to sentencing under the Criminal Code,

which may include a sentence of imprisonment in the Wisconsin state prisons.

Currently, subject to certain exceptions, a person under 17 years of age who is alleged

to have violated a criminal law is subject to the procedures specified in the Juvenile

Justice Code and, on being adjudicated delinquent, is subject to an array of

dispositions under that code, including placement in a juvenile correctional facility.

Similarly, under current law, a person 17 years of age or older who is alleged to

have violated a civil law or municipal ordinance is subject to the jurisdiction and

procedures of the circuit court or, if applicable, the municipal court, while a person

under 17 years of age who is alleged to have violated a civil law or municipal

ordinance, subject to certain exceptions, is subject to the jurisdiction and procedures

of the court assigned to exercise jurisdiction under the Juvenile Justice Code.

Seventeen-year-old juvenile justice aids

Under current law, counties are responsible for paying the costs associated with

juvenile delinquency-related services, including the costs for a placement of a

juvenile in a juvenile correctional facility, juvenile detention facility, or the juvenile

portion of a county jail. The bill creates a sum sufficient appropriation for

Department of Children and Families to reimburse counties, beginning on January

1, 2024, for costs associated with juveniles who were alleged to have violated a state

or federal criminal law or any civil law or municipal ordinance at age 17.