Carson supports bill to detain minors awaiting trial at Sununu Center
Concord, NH – Today, the Senate passed a bill, SB 466-FN, which would authorize minors detained while waiting for disposition of their case to be housed at the Sununu Youth Services Center.
Senator Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry) issued a statement upon passage of this bill.
“This bill serves as a step in the right direction when dealing with juvenile offenders in New Hampshire because it brings our state into compliance with federal mandates under the prison Rape Elimination Act by placing minors waiting for trial at the Sununu Youth Services Center. The Federal mandate requires minors, under the age of 18, even if they are being tried as an adult to be under an officer’s supervision 24-hours a day in an adult prison or jail, which is not cost-effective, or they can be detained in a facility for youth only, which is what this bill serves to do in New Hampshire.”
“This legislation will require the Department of Corrections and Department of Health and Human Services to develop a memorandum of understanding pertaining to use of the Sununu Center for pretrial confinement and asks that they decide which department has jurisdiction over this population of detained minors.”