Maryland's new juvenile justice commission is holding its first meeting amid growing crime concerns

GAITHERSBURG, Maryland (7News) — Maryland's new commission on juvenile justice reform met for the first time Wednesday. It's a group formed under Maryland's new laws in response to concerns about juvenile crime.

This new 26-member commission is charged with reviewing and reporting on all youth services, facilities and programs in Maryland.

They will meet a total of six times a year and the first report is due next October.

This is all part of the new guidelines that went into effect last Friday after Gov. Wes Moore signed the juvenile justice reform package this summer.

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The biggest change is that children between the ages of 10 and 12 can now face criminal charges, including weapons offenses, aggravated animal cruelty and third-degree sex offenses.

If minors on electronic monitoring devices violate conditions of confinement, the juvenile justice agency must notify their attorney and the local prosecutor's office.

Children under 13 are now automatically subject to rehabilitation if they are linked to car theft.

This legislation has been a hot topic for the General Assembly and comes just weeks after a case followed by 7News of a 12-year-old boy who was accused of more than 20 thefts.

However, he has yet to be charged due to Maryland's juvenile justice laws.

“Maybe cases will go down in the long run because hopefully we won't see some of the repeat offenders because we'll be dealing with them right at the start instead of three to four times when they had cases,” Ivan Bates said. Baltimore City Attorney.

Juvenile justice reform and civil rights activists have spoken out against some of the changes. Other changes include allowing judges to extend probation and requiring school systems to create guidelines for how juvenile sex offenders complete their education outside of the classroom.