BOSTON - A bill in the Massachusetts House that would raise the age to be criminally tried as an adult from 18 to 20 has the support of the Boston Celtics, as the team focuses on social justice policy.

"I think all of us in this room are one bad decision away from being in a completely different situation," said Celtics star Jaylen Brown.

The Celtics All-Star spoke to legislators at the state house Wednesday advocating to raise the age of juvenile adjudication from 18 to 20, allowing 18 and 19-year-olds to do their time in juvenile systems and allowing them opportunities to have more corrective support, instead of as an adult prison where they are more likely to re-offend, according to the CDC.

"As our society continues to evolve, I think the system that serves it should evolve as well," Brown said. "And I think that we have a lot of places to improve and a lot of things to improve in our society and I think raising the age is a perfect place to start."

This issue disproportionately impacts young people of color and can often prevent them from getting a job, a stable home and raising a healthy family in the future.

State Rep. Jim O'Day, D-Worcester, is a big advocate of this legislation. He was a social worker for two decades and talked about his experience with young people who make one mistake and their whole futures are impacted. He has a message to all the opponents of the legislation.

"This is not being soft on crime," O'Day said. "It's not being weak on anybody. This is a smart way of addressing young individuals."

The bill needs to move out of committee by next week, so Wednesday's event was a big last-minute push to keep it in play this session.