SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KERO) — The California Supreme Court upheld the state's 2018 law of not allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to be tried as adults and sent to adult prisons. California is the first state to take the step, said the Sentencing Project, an advocacy group.
The high court found the law did not conflict with Proposition 57, which allowed judges to decide whether young suspects should be tried in adult court. The ruling will keep youths from much tougher penalties that can be imposed in adult court.
Youths convicted in juvenile courts can generally be incarcerated only until they reach 25. There is an exception that allows prosecutors to ask judges to hold offenders longer if the release would endanger public safety.
Also, a proposal to amend a law allowing for servitude by California prison inmates.
Opponents propose to amend the state constitution's ban on indentured servitude to remove an exemption for people who are being punished for crimes.
California has long depended on inmate firefighters to help battle wildfires.
The state also depends on inmates to work as cooks, custodians, gardeners, and many other roles that keep the prison system running from day to day.
