Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) introduced a bill last week attempting to address America’s juvenile violent crime problem.
Juvenile violent crime in America has been on the rise over the last decade. From 2016 to 2022, juvenile-perpetuated homicides increased by 65 percent, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.
On top of this, the FBI said juveniles who were suspects in violent crime from 2022 to 2023 rose by almost 10 percent, Newsweek reported.
However, juveniles aged 16 to 18 are prosecuted for their crimes very rarely in federal district court. A 2025 study by the Department of Justice found that juveniles accounted for just 1.2 percent of all defendants charged in federal district courts in fiscal year 2023.
Prison Policy Initiative said the number of juveniles confined in facilities away from home due to the criminal justice system has dropped over 70 percent from 1998 to 2023.
In the Violent Juvenile Offender Accountability Act, the bill proposal would make it easier for the federal government to bring federal criminal charges against certain juvenile offenders over the age of 18.
The bill proposal would target juveniles who commit violent crimes like homicide, assault, carjacking, robbery, or aggravated sexual abuse.
Under the bill, any juvenile over 16 charged with one of these crimes would be tried as an adult. This means these juveniles would not go through the legal process of determining whether a suspect should be tried as an adult.
Blackburn said, “Violent criminals shouldn’t be let off the hook just because they are under the age of 18.”
She added that violent juvenile offenders must be held accountable for “their actions while also working to prevent youth crime in the first place.”
“The Violent Juvenile Offender Accountability Act would build upon my work to combat juvenile crime by empowering prosecutors to bring federal criminal charges against offenders aged 16 and older,” she noted.
In May, Blackburn introduced the After School Act, which aims to establish a grant program to strengthen after-school programs and help address juvenile crime and recidivism.
Echoing similar statements to Blackburn, Cornyn said age should not “absolve” a person who commits “murder, armed robbery, or assault on a federal officer.”
“Our bill would ensure U.S. Attorneys have sole discretion to try a juvenile who commits certain violent crimes as an adult, ensuring no criminal is let off easy because of their age by a light-on-crime court,” the senator said.
At the state level in Tennessee, State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) said he supported the bill. In Memphis, Taylor has attempted in recent years to help clean up the crime problem in Tennessee’s second-largest city.
“I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impact of violent crimes committed by juveniles who are let out of jail within hours of arrest because of a locally-elected Soros-backed district attorney,” he said.
“This legislation ensures that offenders aged 16 and older face appropriate federal prosecution for these serious offenses, promoting accountability and enhancing public safety in communities like Memphis,” the state senator added.
Taylor urged congressional members to pass the bill.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at zschmidt1717@gmail.com.|
