COLUMBIA — With Missouri Senate Bill 888 taking effect Friday, changes are coming to the criminal and juvenile justice system.
Gov. Mike Kehoe signed the bill on April 7, requiring juvenile officers to consult the prosecuting attorney in requests regarding any offenses in which a suspect between 14 and 18 years old could be certified as an adult.
The bill will also allow prosecutors to access the Juvenile Detention Assessment form. This paperwork assesses why the child was detained in the first place, according to language in SB 888.
Previously, prosecutors did not have access to that information, as it was limited to the juvenile office alone, according to the bill summary.
These recent changes could affect a recent Columbia case where a 15-year-old suspect is accused of shooting another juvenile, Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Roger Johnson told KOMU 8 News.
He said if any juvenile suspect has a case involving the use of a deadly weapon, such as a gun, they would automatically be considered to be tried as an adult.
15-year-old suspect in Columbia shooting to be investigated for adult charges
Johnson described a hypothetical that mirrors the starting point for the certification process that took place in court Friday afternoon.
"If there was a case where a 14-year-old was involved in a shooting, and the police were able to make an arrest, and there was enough information for the juvenile office to go forward, that would be a case that would be presented to the judge to consider whether it should be handled in juvenile or adult court," Johnson said.
He said with the bill now in effect, juveniles will also be fingerprinted and that information will be reported to the Highway Patrol, which maintains criminal records.
Johnson said in the past, prosecutors have not had access to juveniles' criminal histories.
This is often used to determine how juveniles are tried and what type of sentence they receive, he said.