Juvenile Court - Jurisdiction

SB 422 expands juvenile court jurisdiction in Maryland by removing restrictions that previously required certain serious cases involving 16- and 17-year-olds to be handled in adult court. The bill repeals provisions that barred juvenile courts from addressing offenses like murder, kidnapping, firearm crimes, and violent sexual offenses when committed by youth aged 16 or older. This change means juvenile courts can now handle these cases directly instead of automatically transferring them to adult criminal courts for the specified offenses. The bill affects youth aged 16 and older accused of crimes that would be classified as serious felonies if committed by an adult.