A California lawmaker announced Tuesday she is crafting a criminal-justice reform that would bar prosecutors from automatically charging people under age 20 as adults.

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, says she is working with probation officers and juvenile justice groups on a bill that would require prosecutors to file a special motion in juvenile court in order to try anyone under 20 as an adult. She points to research showing that the brains of 18 and 19-year-olds are not always fully developed and says young offenders should be rehabilitated in the juvenile system, not prison.

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“This law would put a big focus on how judges, who will have expanded discretion, decide which offenders in the 18-19 range merit adult court,” said Stanford Criminal Justice Center co-director Robert Weisberg in an email.