Republican state delegate says failed policies are allowing juveniles to get away with crime

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Across Maryland, more young people are not only falling victim to crime but committing crime too.

“This never used to happen, but now 10, 12, 13-year-olds are stealing cars,” said Delegate Nino Mangione.

Last week, more than a dozen young people were arrested for a series of crimes involving stolen cars in Anne Arundel County.

In more than one case, some of the suspects were too young to be charged.

Republican State Delegate Nino Mangione says there needs to be discipline, especially for young juveniles.

The Juvenile Justice Reform Act limits children under 13 to charges for crimes of violence and says a juvenile under 10 cannot be charged.

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“I know part of the premise behind the bill was to get services, and I think services for these juveniles is an important step, but the most important step here is making sure our communities are safe, and streets are safe and getting especially violent juveniles off the streets,” he said.

It’s a law delegate Mangione says has done more harm than good, allowing juveniles to get away with serious crimes with no consequences.

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“I think we must defer to law enforcement and design effective strategies to prevent violent crime and work with prosecutors to impose tough penalties on juveniles who commit violent acts and start early and make certain juveniles know there is accountability,” he said.

As two Maryland legislative committees plan to look into accusations juvenile justice reform laws are contributing to the problem, Mangione says he doesn’t expect much to come of it.

He says he’d support a special session.

“Right now, criminals all ages in Maryland know you can get away with a lot in this state, and it’s because failed policies like this juvenile justice law that allow for this,” he said.

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