After many years of families, youth and other impacted stakeholders making their voices heard, New York is no longer one of only two states in the nation that continues to automatically prosecute 16 and 17 year olds as adult criminals. Raise the Age legislation was enacted on April 10, 2017. Now that the legislation is law, we now must turn our attention to ensuring that this legislation is implemented effectively and looking further ahead, strategize on how we can further improve outcomes for young people and their families.Here is a link to an overview of the law and a review of the state’s implementation plan. For more information, visit the New York State website and the Raise the Age NY campaign website.
Implementation News
Coverage of Raise the Age | NY
- Raise the Age NY Call for Justice Day
- One ‘Raise the Age’ Story at Center of Push for Legislative Action
- Will New York Be Last to ‘Raise the Age’?
- Cuomo’s Executive Action on ‘Raise the Age’ Prompts Questions
- Not Giving Up on Raise the Age– Capitol Tonight
- Congressional delegation urge state lawmakers to raise the age- June 1, 2015
- Cuomo tours NY state prison as he pushes for sentencing reform- May 28
- Formerly Incarcerated Youth, Family Members, and Over 100 Organizations Call on Elected Officials to Raise the Age, Reform Juvenile Justice System Before End of Legislative Session
- Governor Cuomo Receives 2015 Exceptional Leadership Award for Work on Raise the Age Criminal Justice Reform- March 3, 2015
- Time Warner Cable News: “Sheriffs Urge Juvenile Justice Reform,” February 27, 2015
- Capital Confidential: “Panel on youth and justice recommends fixes for teen offenders,” January 19, 2015
- “In Interrogations, Teenagers Are Too Young to Know Better,” The New York Times, October 13, 2014
- Wiser Justice for Juveniles: TU
- Democrat & Chronicle: Raise the Age
- NY Times: A Bid to Keep Youth Out of Adult Prisons
- Democrat & Chronicle: Revise NY’s legal system
- YNN- Raise the Age
- Albany Watch: Coalition: Keep Teenagers Under 18 in Youth Court
- Capitol Pressroom: Raise the Age
- Click For More RaisetheAge|NY News
Regarding other states that have ‘raised’ the age:
“From a longer-term outcome, they see a lot of savings, a lot of savings,” said Families Together CEO Paige Pierce. “The cost of processing kids through the adult criminal justice system and sending them off to state prison is greater than providing alternatives to detention and getting them the services that they need so they don’t recidivise.”
“From a longer-term outcome, they see a lot of savings, a lot of savings,” said Families Together CEO Paige Pierce. “The cost of processing kids through the adult criminal justice system and sending them off to state prison is greater than providing alternatives to detention and getting them the services that they need so they don’t recidivise.”