SB459

Senate Bill 459 amends the Arkansas Juvenile Code to establish a minimum age of ten years for a person to be adjudicated as a delinquent juvenile. The bill identifies that children under ten lack the necessary intellectual capacity and maturity to form criminal intent or fully grasp the consequences of their actions. Under the new provisions, if a child who is nine years of age or younger causes the death of another person, they cannot be labeled a delinquent juvenile. Instead, such children must be adjudicated as a juvenile in a family in need of services (FINS) matter. This shift ensures that these children are subject to court-supervised services and age-appropriate treatment rather than traditional criminal prosecution. The legislation aligns Arkansas with several other states that have established a ten-year minimum age for delinquency adjudication.