Indiana Youth Sentencing Bill SB0449 passed in the Indiana Senate this evening, and will now move to the Indiana House of Representatives before potentially becoming law.

The controversial bill has drawn outrage for, among many things, making 12-year-olds accused of certain offenses be eligible to be waived to Adult Court.

In a vote of 31-18, The Indiana Senate approved the bill that passed last week at a committee hearing that was packed with residents in opposition.

In response amendments were added removing some of the most controversial elements targeting 12 year olds. However, the majority of the remaining bill still drastically expands the scope of sentencing for youth offenders.

SB 449 is approved 31-18. — IN Senate Democrats (@INSenDems) February 5, 2020

Today several Democratic Senators spoke out against the bill and its potential effects. Despite the outcry, it still easily passed during the session

“All you’re going to do by passing this bill is exacerbate a problem we already have. We have statistics that show that Black males represent less than 10 percent of the community, yet they make up over 70 percent of the population being filed to adult court.” -Senator Greg Taylor

“We already know that there is a disproportionate impact on children of color. If we expand the offenses that could waive children to adult court, it will only worsen that problem.” -Senator Jean Breaux

“With this bill, I fear that we are giving up on the juvenile court system. I know that there are horrendous crimes that need to be treated seriously, but I don’t think we should give up on children or the juvenile court system. I’m going to vote against the bill.” Senator Tim Lanane

The bill now moves to the Indiana House of Representatives, where it will be considered for amendments before a vote takes place that could potentially send it to Governor Eric Holcomb to be signed as law.

This bill has brought forth tremendous community outrage all throughout the state, and has been accused of attempting to expand the “school-to-prison” pipeline that has been shown to disproportionately affect the African-American Community.

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