2023 Public Safety Agenda for Newly Elected State Legislators INTRODUCTION

To help assist newly elected legislators in their public safety agendas this year—or to help seasoned legislators to strengthen their bipartisan criminal justice work—we have provided information on key public safety legislation found to be successful in other states and explain why that legislation should matter in all states. [...] Research of the prosecution has also highlighted how the arrest and prosecution of young children causes of children trauma and can increase the chance of criminality in the future. [...] Benefit: By raising the age of prosecution of children, parents and communities can provide an age-appropriate response to delinquent behavior, thereby eliminating the stigmas and collateral consequences of a child in the justice system. [...] Pretrial detention should be based solely on an individual’s willingness to show up for court and whether they are a risk to society, not their ability to pay. [...] Take note: The ability to assess dangerousness accurately and impose preventive detention is necessary to continue to uphold public safety under a nonmonetary bail system.