Lawmakers Want Fewer Children Jailed for Non-Criminal Offenses - Lexington Herald-Leader
Reducing the number is "a priority," state Rep. John Tilley, co-chairman of the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary, said Friday.
"There's a consensus that nobody wants to detain status offenders," said Tilley, a Democrat from Hopkinsville. "The problem is when those status offenders violate court orders," and they can leave judges with no choice, he said.
"Our hope is we don't have to incarcerate kids for something that is not a crime," said Sen. Tom Jensen, Tilley's co-chairman and a Republican from London. Legislators want to come up with legislation for the 2012 legislative session, he said.
