Georgia House votes to bump adult criminal age from 17 to 18
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ATLANTA - Georgia’s House approved a measure Monday that would raise the age for charging most people from 17 to 18.
The House voted 113-51 to pass House Bill 272, sending it to the Senate for more debate.
House Juvenile Justice Committee Chairman Mandi Ballinger, a Canton Republican, has been pushing the idea for years. She cites testimony from experts that teen’s brains are still developing to full adulthood and they lack the impulse control that older people usually develop.
"We’re one of three states with this horribly antiquated practice of treating 17-year-olds like grownups," Ballinger told the House.