It is the intent of the Legislature to fully utilize the Youthful Offender Act as a means to protect the public while rehabilitating and holding youth accountable for serious crimes. The Legislature finds that eligible seventeen-year-olds should have the opportunity to be processed as youthful offenders as provided by law and held accountable through the various provisions of the Youthful Offender Act for custody, institutional placement, supervision, extended jurisdiction within the Office of Juvenile Affairs, and the ability to transfer youthful offenders to the Department of Corrections when incarceration or additional supervision is required beyond the maximum age allowed in the Office of Juvenile Affairs. No older youth should be deemed ineligible or denied consideration as a youthful offender who is otherwise lawfully eligible based upon the age of the youth being seventeen (17) years, but it is the intent of the Legislature that such youthful offender shall not remain in the custody or under the supervision of the Office of Juvenile Affairs beyond the youthful offender's maximum age of eighteen (18) years and six (6) months or until nineteen (19) years of age if jurisdiction has been extended as provided in subsection B of Section 2-5-209 of this title. To deny access to an otherwise eligible older youth without cause is to circumvent the original intent of the Legislature in creating the Youthful Offender Act.

Added by Laws 2006, c. 239, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2006. Amended by Laws 2009, c. 234, § 85, emerg. eff. May 21, 2009. Renumbered from § 7306-2.7a of Title 10 by Laws 2009, c. 234, § 188, emerg. eff. May 21, 2009. Amended by Laws 2010, c. 397, § 1, emerg. eff. June 8, 2010; Laws 2018, c. 155, § 7, eff. Nov. 1, 2018.