Youth Justice Legislative Roundup - March 2026

Many state legislative sessions are well underway this year, addressing a range of critical issues that could redefine youth justice for years to come. We invite you to share policies that are being considered in your state so that we can track, respond, and advocate together for what young people need most.

Age of Jurisdiction

• The Virginia General Assembly has passed SB 18 that would establish a minimum age for juvenile delinquency of 11 years old! Virginia currently has no minimum age. It is awaiting the Governor’s signature!

  
  

• On the other end of the spectrum, the Maryland Senate passed SB323 that would limit the use of automatic transfers of minors to adult court. Maryland currently sends more youth automatically to adult court, per capita, than any state other than Alabama. While the bill was amended to limit the extent of this reform, it is a significant first step forward given that a version of this legislation has been introduced for approximately 14 years and never made it out of committee. Additionally, the bill would eventually end the practice of locking up youth in adult jails. 

  
  

• In New York, forces are at work to try to undo their Raise the Age law, which fully went into effect in 2019. Until 2017, New York was one of two states treating all 16 and 17-year-olds as if they were adults. Since the Raise the Age law fully went into effect in 2019, youth arrests and youth crime is down across the state. Nonetheless, prosecutors, police unions, and conservative tabloids are clamoring to roll it back.

Legal Representation & Due Process

• A promising bill in Nebraska (LB995) would ensure that all youth in Nebraska have access to legal representation in juvenile court.

  
  

• In Illinois, HB 4640/SB 2973 was introduced to require children have legal counsel throughout custodial interrogation in cases that could lead to an adult prosecution or sentence.  

Restorative Justice & Community-Based Models

• Legislation was introduced in Illinois (HB 4639/SB 2974) to expand the use of restorative justice by encouraging juvenile justice courts to consider restorative justice alternatives at all stages of the case and allowing the court, and the State’s Attorney, to establish a community mediation program.

  
  

• In New York, legislation entitled the Youth Justice Innovation Fund (S643) has been introduced to earmark millions in unspent Raise the Age dollars and use it to directly fund community-based organizations  to provide services to help young people, such as mentoring, school support, counseling, and internships.

  
  

Restraint, Seclusion & Conditions of Confinement

• In Nebraska, LB996 was introduced to end the routine shackling of youth, allowing restraints only in rare, documented cases where they are truly necessary for safety.

Detention & Incarceration

• In a step backwards, the Kansas legislature is moving forward HB2329 that would expand the incarceration of youth for longer periods of time, ignoring all evidence to the contrary indicating that this would harm both youth and public safety.

  
  

If you’d like us to include legislation in your state in our next Roundup, please contact Melissa Goemann at mgoemann@nextgejustice.org.