MEMPHIS, Tenn. — While the mass shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School in March sparked Governor Bill Lee’s much anticipated special session on public safety, much of the focus has been placed on juvenile justice reform.
In a proclamation for the special session, Governor Bill Lee outlined public safety needs that he wants legislators to address. Juvenile justice reform is noted several times as a major focus.
Dilitho Miller, a Memphis resident, said she was robbed several years ago by teenagers.
“I threw both hands in the air and said, ‘Please, have mercy Jesus. Please don’t shoot me,'” she said. “I had to come here to court at juvenile court. They had the young guys. They were all under the age of 16. They still ended up back on the streets again,” said Miller.
Now, her prayer has turned to what happens next in stopping crimes involving youth. Ahead of Tennessee’s Legislative Special Session on public safety, Governor Bill Lee proposed changes such as blended sentences where youth could receive adult sentences simultaneously and lowering the age that juveniles can be transferred to adult court to 16.
“I feel they should be charged as an adult at an earlier age in order to keep them from constantly getting out over and over,” said Miller.
Richard Briggs, Tennessee State Senator, said the state does have juveniles that pose a "real and significant danger to the public," and that they have to be looked at and prosecuted differently.
Cardell Orrin, Stand for Children Tennessee Executive Director, said some of these ideas are the right answers to the wrong questions.
“There was a study that was released recently where over the last 10 years, juvenile arrests have been going down across the state. They’ve been reduced in Shelby County. We’re blaming our young people for a problem that is not theirs,” said Orrin. “We’re potentially saying 'Let’s just throw away our 16 and up year-olds.' Which one of us want to do that for our own children, and better yet, others in the community?”
Orrin said, instead, the focus should be on community engagement.
“How do we make sure their housing is secure or their food is secure? That security, that safety, will lead to safety for us all,” said Orrin.
As for Miller, she said the biggest change should be in gun control.
“They should be focusing more on lowering that age of 18-year-olds to have a gun because like I said, since that has happened, more crime has occurred every day. Too many people have guns in their hands,” said Miller.