02/09/2026
The Maryland Legislature is currently considering SB323/HB409, which would make it significantly more difficult to charge juveniles as adults when they are charged with serious offenses. Last week, Washington County State's Attorney Gina Cirincion went to Annapolis with other State’s Attorneys to talk to members of the legislature about our concerns about the bill.
Currently, 14 and 15 year olds charged with crimes punishable by life in prison and 16 and 17 year olds charged with serious felonies and gun offenses are automatically charged as adults. If these bills were to pass, 14 and 15 year olds could never be automatically charged as adults and 16 and 17 year olds would not be charged as adults automatically for offenses such as handgun possession, robbery, first degree assault, and third degree s*x offenses. Instead, these charges would go to the juvenile systems and prosecutors would have to rely on judges to move the cases to the adult system upon a showing that there is no treatment available to prevent the juvenile from continuing to commit crimes in the community. As a result, juveniles charged with serious crimes will be released into the community without adequate supervision, services, or protection for the community.
In 2025, Washington County was forwarded a record number of juvenile cases from the Department of Juvenile Services and a record number of children in our county received services through Juvenile Court, including mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and mentorship programs through our overwhelmed Department of Juvenile Services. Adding violent felony cases to their caseload will not make our community safer. It will take resources away from other juveniles and undermine the efforts of law enforcement to get guns, drugs, and violence out of our streets. If you are also concerned about the negative impact these bills could have on public safety, please contact your representatives in the Maryland General Assembly to express your concerns as well.
