Celtics gamers wore ‘Elevate the Age’ shirts earlier than Friday’s sport. Right here’s what they imply.

On that web site, the Celtics record a statistic that adolescent criminals had been 34 % much less more likely to reoffend when prosecuted as juveniles in comparison with those that had been prosecuted as adults. Based on Noa Dalzell of Celtics Weblog, younger adults within the grownup system have the very best recidivism charge of any group of individuals prosecuted as such at 74 %.

“My spouse was in felony justice and he or she was a probation officer and we noticed, simply generally how the system can put folks again and the way it can maintain folks again and put them in even more durable conditions in the place they’re at,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla informed reporters earlier than the sport. “And so, this invoice is vital to lots of people due to what it will possibly supply. So simply grateful to be part of a company that’s doing that, and the marketing campaign begins tonight, and hopefully folks can study extra about it.”

The positioning insinuates that the juvenile system’s emphasis on rehabilitation — youngsters and adolescents underneath that system should attend college and take part in rehabilitative programming — explains the disparity between the recidivism charges between younger adults tried as juveniles versus adults. It additionally means that it will possibly clarify why juvenile crime has decreased by 34 % ever since 2013, the yr Massachusetts prolonged juvenile jurisdiction to incorporate 17-year-olds.

“I feel it’s vital usually. Not simply the group, however for humanity,” Mazzulla mentioned. “However I do know the Celtics have carried out an excellent job constructing consciousness to that and dealing on a invoice attempting to alter that.”

This isn’t the primary time that the Celtics have advocated for this situation. Brown and former Celtics Grant Williams and Malcolm Brogdon visited the White Home in March to debate a possible increase on the nationwide degree, and co-governor Steve Pagliuca testified in assist of Massachusetts’ invoice.