The Delaware Department of Justice announced Friday a series of new policies to address juvenile gun possession.
Citing an alarming number of repeat juvenile arrests, Attorney General Matt Denn is implementing new procedures in response to the growing problem of kids carrying firearms.Denn says he will now personally review each new case - he estimates around 3 or 4 each week - and recommend more serious offenders be tried as adults instead of facing a delinquency trial in Family Court that carries less-onerous penalties.
Denn says 35 percent of kids arrested for Wilmington shootings have been caught with guns before – an indication minor penalties fail to serve as a deterrent.
“We need juveniles to think of carrying a firearm as something with very serious long-term consequences,' Denn said. "And our hope is that – in conjunction with a number of other steps – we’ll reduce the number of juveniles who are willing to carry guns.”
Denn is also committing to make prosecutors available for Class D felony bail hearings involving juveniles at all hours of the day to present evidence needed to set appropriate bail and keep potentially violent juveniles off the street.
Additionally, Denn wants to reevaluate the statute preventing Family Court from taking into account punishment, harm to victims or deterrence during sentencing.
Denn said Family Court judges should have a broader range of considerations when imposing those sentences.
“They ought to be able consider how serious of sentence would be sufficient to cause other juveniles to think twice about committing that same offense – and what is appropriate in terms of a punishment.”
DOJ will establish a task force to look into appropriately changing law to give that court more flexibility.
