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We Must Pair Raise the Age with Restorative Justice
Wednesday, May 31st, 2017There has been a great deal of celebration following passage of “Raise the Age,” legislation in New York that will end the practice of trying 16- and 17-year-old criminal defendants as adults. And rightfully so — this will go a long way to dam the school-to-prison pipeline; we should be cheering. But rarely does a […]
How ‘Raise the Age’ Laws Might Reduce Recidivism
Wednesday, May 31st, 2017You have to be 18 to vote in a general election or join the military without your parents’ consent — and you’ve got to be 21 before you can belly up to the bar. But in some states, if you’re under 18 and you break the law, you’ll be treated as an adult, no matter […]
NYSAC executive director talks Raise the Age task force
Thursday, May 25th, 2017Passed almost two months ago as part of New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Fiscal Year 2017-18 budget, raising the age of adult criminal responsibility for non-violent felons isn’t as simple as it might look. Last week, the New York State Association of Counties announced the deployment of an advisory group to facilitate Raise the […]
‘Raise the Age’ a victory for juvenile justice, but there’s work to be done: Editorial
Monday, May 15th, 2017New York State has shaken off an inexplicable, regressive stigma by choosing, finally, to treat 16- and 17-year-old defendants differently than adults in our court system. Under “Raise the Age” legislation passed by the state Legislature last month, most of these juvenile defendants will have their cases handled by Family Court, which is far better prepared to […]
Raise the Age raises questions for local officials
Monday, May 15th, 2017The push to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18 years old is a massive and multifaceted overhaul of the state’s criminal justice system, according to local criminal justice officials. The law, which was passed in the state budget, will affect nearly every agency involved in detaining, assessing, prosecuting and holding court […]
NY Sees Success with Raise the Age campaign
Wednesday, May 10th, 2017NY’s Successful Raise the Age Campaign After years of advocacy, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation last month that raises of the age of criminal responsibility to 18-years-old, with a two stage phase-in process. We spoke with New York Children’s Defense Fund’s Director of Youth Justice Beth Powers about the success of the Raise […]
Raise the Age to Get Appropriate Justice for All Under 18
Friday, April 28th, 2017This month, New York passed among the nation’s strongest measures to “raise the age,” making it the 49th state to refrain from trying all 16-year-old criminal defendants as adults, and the 44th state to refrain from trying all 17-year-olds as adults, once the rollout is complete in 2020. The accomplishment is significant, positively impacting thousands […]
From Raising the Age NY to Carl E. Heastie- Thank You
Friday, April 28th, 2017Dear Assembly Speaker Heastie, As members of the Raise the Age NY Campaign, we write to thank you for making Raise the Age a priority in the state budget and for passing legislation that raises the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18. This long-awaited reform will improve the lives of thousands of youth, […]
Advocates Celebrate Criminal Justice Legislative Victories
Friday, April 28th, 2017Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and members of the Assembly Majority stood with children’s and criminal justice advocates in recognition of the adoption of Raise the Age and improvements to the quality of public defense services accomplished in this year’s budget. The SFY 17-18 budget includes provisions to enact the Assembly Majority’s longstanding goal to raise […]
Heastie Touts Criminal Justice Measures In Budget
Friday, April 28th, 2017Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie on Friday touted the provisions in the state budget that address criminal justice reforms, which range from raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18 and providing funds for the public defense of indigents. Heastie had made the push for the raise the age campaign a key policy goal in the […]
Raise The Age NY Campaign Statement on the Senate Passing Raise The Age Legislation
Monday, April 24th, 2017In response to the Senate passing of Raise the Age legislation in New York, Jennifer March, Executive Director of Citizens’ Committee for Children-New York; Naomi Post, Executive Director of the Children’s Defense Fund-New York and Paige Pierce, CEO of Families Together in New York State released the following statement on behalf of the Raise the […]
Op-Ed: Raising the Age Saves Young Lives
Thursday, April 20th, 2017For years New York has borne the unfortunate and unlikely distinction of being one of only two states in the U.S. that prosecutes 16- and 17-year olds as adults. Action by Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature has finally ended this barbaric practice that ruins young lives and threatens public safety. When a […]
After years-long fight, NY adopts new juvenile justice system
Monday, April 17th, 2017With the signing of the state budget last week, New York joins 48 other states that do not automatically treat 16- and 17-year-olds as adults. On April 10, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a new law that will phase-in a higher age of criminal responsibility and move inmates under 18 out of adult jails and prisons […]
Will ‘Raise the Age’ help kids or hurt safety?
Monday, April 17th, 2017ALBANY – A years-long campaign to remove most 16- and 17-year-olds from New York’s criminal courts was epitomized in a slogan of just three words: Raise the Age. It took more than 25,000 words to make it reality. A 43-page, 28,869-word measure tucked in New York’s newly approved budget will raise the age of criminal responsibility, reshaping the […]
New York’s smart criminal justice reform sets an example for Sessions to follow
Sunday, April 16th, 2017EVEN AS THE Trump administration begins to regress on criminal justice, states continue to find more rational and humane ways to handle crime. In New York, for example, which currently runs an unjustifiably harsh criminal justice system, reform is taking place on several fronts. One of the most urgent is the state’s current practice — […]
The Fine Print in New York’s Raise the Age Law
Friday, April 14th, 2017After decades of debate, New York this week raised the age at which juveniles are automatically tried as adults, from 16 to 18. It was one of the last states in the country to make the shift — and it was hailed as a triumph. “This is one of the strongest raise the age bills […]
Albany passes Raise the Age law but ‘more work to be done,’ advocacy group says
Friday, April 14th, 2017Starting in October 2018, New York State will undergo a major change in the way the courts deal with 16- and 17-year-old defendants. The Raise the Age law, signed Monday by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, means 16- and 17-year-olds will no longer be prosecuted as criminals. Instead, the majority of the cases will be diverted […]
New York State Signs ‘Raise The Age’ Bill In Honor of Kalief Browder
Friday, April 14th, 2017On Monday New York signed a major bill that would no longer automatically consider 16 and 17-year-olds adults in criminal court. Before Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the controversial bill this week, New York and North Carolina were the only two states to still try teenagers as adults. Called the ‘Raise the Age’ bill, it essentially […]
NY State Of Progress: What Closing Of Rikers, Raise The Age & Tuition-Free College Really Mean
Friday, April 14th, 2017In the two weeks, New York City and the NY state as a whole have made landmark announcements in regards to criminal justice reform and higher education reform. For the former, there is Mayor Bill de Blasio‘s plan to close Rikers Island in 10 years, as well as the “Raise The Age” bill from Gov. […]
New state ‘Raise the Age’ bill that increases age of criminal responsibility will not fully kick in for two years
Thursday, April 13th, 2017The “Raise the Age” bill that increases the age of criminal responsibility will not fully kick in for another two years. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law earlier this week. The new measures will be phased in over time, raising the age of juvenile delinquency from age 16- to 17-years-old beginning on October […]
Sen. Young, Assemblyman Giglio find good, bad in New York state budget
Wednesday, April 12th, 2017State lawmakers found good and not so good things in the $153.1 billion budget passed Sunday. State Sen. Catharine Young, R-Olean, and Assemblyman Joseph Giglio, R-Gowanda, said they were happy with the state education aid, which increased $1.1 billion to $26 billion. Schools in Cattaraugus and Allegany counties will see a total of $316.3 million […]
Congrats, North Carolina. You’re Now the Last State to Prosecute Sixteen- and Seventeen-Year-Olds as Adults
Wednesday, April 12th, 2017Hats off to you, North Carolina. You’ve put yourself on the map for all the wrong reasons once again. No, we’re not talking about the absurd bill filed yesterday to make gay marriage illegal (Supreme Court, Shmupreme Court, amirite?), or the industry-protecting hog-farm bill moving quickly through the legislature, or even the faux-HB 2 repeal […]
Ratifying the Raise; Aprobado el aumento
Wednesday, April 12th, 2017They turned the page on age. Advocates and lawmakers on a mission to make the “Raise the Age” plan the official law of New York State saw their efforts come to fruition on April 10, as Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation to raise the age of criminal consent to 18. “Stories like Kalief’s [should be] […]
Why Kalief Browder’s Brother Says It’s Time To End The Prison System
Wednesday, April 12th, 2017The great irony, and the even greater barbarity, of the American justice system is that justice is so seldom served if you are black or Latino. For three years on Rikers Island, Kalief Browder rotted in a man-made hell: he was frequently assaulted and denied food by guards, harassed by inmates, and spent much of […]
NY1 Online: From Law to Reality: Making ‘Raise the Age’ Work
Wednesday, April 12th, 2017NY1 VIDEO: New York will no longer treat 16 and 17 year olds as adults in the criminal justice system. But how will the program actually work? Errol Louis discussed with Allison Lake of the Westchester Children’s Association, Kate Rubin from Youth Represent and Stephanie Gendell of the Citizens’ Committee for Children. WATCH: http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/inside-city-hall/2017/04/12/ny1-online–from-law-to-reality–making–raise-the-age–work.html
10 Key Takeaways for New York City from the New State Budget
Wednesday, April 12th, 2017A new $153 billion New York state budget was passed through the Legislature Sunday evening, nine days into the new fiscal year, following a particularly lengthy and tumultuous negotiation period. After Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a budget deal Friday night, the Assembly approved the budget Saturday, while State senators — called back to Albany from […]
Cuomo recaps accomplishments of new budget
Wednesday, April 12th, 2017Tariq Nawaz has a lengthy commute. The Buffalo resident drives to New York City to work as an Uber driver. He stays there for weeks at a time, comes home for a break and to spend time with his family and then returns to work. But those days will soon be over. Now that New […]
State of NY Raises the Age of People Charged and Sentenced as Adults
Wednesday, April 12th, 2017Lawmakers in the state of New York voted on Sunday to raise the age of criminal responsibility as part of a $153 billion budget deal that was worked out nine days after the fiscal year began. AM New York reports that the budget was approved after debates between lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo over key […]
Jermyn: Cuomo’s signature to ‘raise the age’ of youths tried as adults is essential to reforming the criminal justice system
Tuesday, April 11th, 2017Facing charges as an adult — beyond the risk of prison time — heightens at-risk children’s chances of ending up back in that same courtroom later in life. The correlation was finally legally realized when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the “Raise the Age” bill into law Monday. Cuomo’s signature means New York no longer stands […]
New York Gov. Cuomo Signs ‘Raise the Age’ Bill Into Law
Tuesday, April 11th, 2017New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday officially signed into law a bill that would prevent all 16- and 17-year-olds from being tried as adults in New York State. The bill has been on and off the table for decades. New York was previously one of only two states that tried 16- and 17-year-olds as […]
NEW YORK WILL NO LONGER PROSECUTE 16- AND 17-YEAR OLDS AS ADULTS
Tuesday, April 11th, 2017NEW YORK — New York raises the age of criminal responsibility under the new so called “Raise the Age” initiative. The reform, signed by Governor Cuomo, states 16 and 17 year olds will no longer be prosecuted as adult criminals. The age will change to 17 next year and to 18 the year after. It […]
Lawmakers react to state budget
Tuesday, April 11th, 2017ELIZABETHTOWN — The state has budget liftoff. The $163 billion spending plan reached over the weekend includes most of the big-ticket proposals Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed in January, including free college tuition at state schools, upstate ridesharing, raising the age for criminal liability and a (modified) version of his consolidation proposal for local governments. The […]
‘Cruel and unusual’: NY governor signs measure to stop sending teens to adult prison
Tuesday, April 11th, 2017Under a new law in New York, juveniles under 18 will no longer be funneled through adult jails, where studies show they face a higher risk of suicide and sexual assault. However, opponents warn the measure serves as a recruiting tool for gangs. On Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) signed legislation to “raise the age” […]
KING: Sweeping criminal justice reforms in New York prove focused, local activism makes change happen
Tuesday, April 11th, 2017In the past 10 days, New York has seen some of the most sweeping city and statewide criminal justice reforms in its recent history take place. These victories, first with the call to permanently close Rikers Island, the long embattled New York City jail, followed by the announcement that New York would finally raise the […]
Six questions answered about this year’s state budget deal
Tuesday, April 11th, 2017Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature have agreed to a budget for the state’s fiscal year. It came nine days after the fiscal year began on April 1. The budget, comprised of 10 bills, runs more than 3,300 pages. It outlines state spending and major policy changes. The legislation will fund […]
Gov. Andrew Cuomo Visits Harlem To Sign ‘Raise The Age’ Bill
Tuesday, April 11th, 2017HARLEM, NY — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo stopped in Harlem on Monday to sign “Raise the Age” legislation that would prevent 16- and 17-year-olds from automatically being processed as adults when arrested in New York State. Cuomo was surrounded Monday by Harlem community leaders such as Charlie Rangel and Soffiyah Elijah of the Alliance […]
Newsday: Talking Point
Tuesday, April 11th, 2017Cuomo goes viral It was Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s most delayed budget, but elements of the complicated agreement are still getting him national attention—sometimes in unlikely places. Though the governor has denied current interest in higher office, he was praised as a potential presidential candidate by heavy hitters like the Rev. Al Sharpton and former […]
NY Will No Longer Prosecute 16 And 17 Year Olds As Adult Criminals
Tuesday, April 11th, 2017Photo by Lucy Nicholson for Reuters Following the decision to close the notorious Rikers Island, New York criminal justice reform has scored another win with the state no longer prosecuting 16 and 17 year-olds as adult criminals. This past Sunday NY lawmakers voted to raise the age of people charged and imprisoned as adults, with the decision […]
Albany passes budget after missing deadline
Monday, April 10th, 2017New York state finally has a budget for the coming year, after a week marked by fits and starts in the Legislature and the governor’s office. The announcement came Sunday, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo saying the agreements made between the Assembly and Senate were worth the blown deadline from a week earlier. “With this budget, […]
New York State Finally Agrees To #RaiseTheAge For Juvenile Offenders
Monday, April 10th, 2017The New York state Senate gave final passage Sunday night to a $153.1 billion budget that was nine days late, and part of the compromise was a policy issue that many criminal justice advocates had sought for years—raising the age that New York teens could be charged as adults. Until recently, New York and North […]
NY State Passes Law to Stop Prosecuting Teens as Adults
Monday, April 10th, 2017New York State lawmakers this weekend approved a long-sought bill to raise the age of criminal responsibility in New York State to 18. The state had been debating whether to abolish prosecutions of 16- and 17-year-olds who commit non-violent crimes as adults in criminal court for a dozen years but made little progress. When the […]
Albany Finally Passes Raise The Age Legislation, But “The Fight Is Far From Over”
Monday, April 10th, 2017This past weekend, the New York State legislature enacted partial “Raise the Age” reform that will raise the age of adult criminal responsibility for nonviolent offenses to 18 and substantially change the way all 16- and 17 year-olds are treated by the state’s criminal justice system. The reforms also specifically require New York City to move […]
Gov. Signs ‘Raise the Age’ Bill Into Law Alongside Browder Family in Harlem
Monday, April 10th, 2017CENTRAL HARLEM— After more than a decade of unsuccessful attempts by lawmakers and juvenile justice advocates, Gov. Andrew Cuomo officially signed a bill into law Monday that would prevent all 16- and 17-year-olds from automatically being charged as adults in New York, no matter the crime. “This was a hard one. This was difficult to do,” […]
Retired State Supreme Court Justice talks ‘Raise the Age’
Monday, April 10th, 2017BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Raising the age of criminal responsibility has been a longstanding goal in Albany. Sunday, the New York Senate officially gave it the stamp approval in the 2017-2018 budget. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the measure Monday. It will be implemented in phases; by October of 2019 the age of criminal responsibility in […]
Legislation Signed to Raise the Age of Criminal Responsibility
Monday, April 10th, 2017ALBANY – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation on Monday, Apr. 10, raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18-years-old, ensuring that young people in New York who commit non-violent crimes receive the intervention and evidence-based treatment they need. The legislation was passed as part of the FY 2018 Budget, and marks a major accomplishment […]
‘Raise the Age,’ Now Law in New York, Is Still a Subject of Debate
Monday, April 10th, 2017ALBANY — Much of the praise for the Raise the Age initiative, which was passed by the New York Legislature over the weekend, was effusive, with various political factions claiming it as their own victory and its supporters calling it a historic protection for juvenile defendants. To be sure, the law — signed Monday by […]
New York budget: Senate approves raise the age, path to free college tuition, more
Monday, April 10th, 2017The New York State Senate passed a $163 billion budget on Sunday night, nine days after the fiscal year began. Debates between lawmakers and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo over key issues led to the longest budget delay since the Democrat took office in 2011. Those key issues included raising the age of criminal responsibility and […]
New York raises age of criminal responsibility in ‘lightning rod’ reform
Monday, April 10th, 2017“When Anjelique Wadlington was arrested at 17 after her older boyfriend persuaded her to sell some cocaine, she expected repercussions. What she didn’t expect was being sent to an adult prison in upstate New Yorkwhere she witnessed fellow inmates being slashed and gang-raped by other women. “A girl tried to cut me and another woman […]
Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte: NYS Assembly Passes a Budget that puts NY Families First and the Historic Raise the Age Legislation
Monday, April 10th, 2017(ALBANY) Saturday, April 6, 2017, the Assembly passed a $153.1 billion budget (see below for appropriations) and the historic Raise the Age legislation that had been before the NYS legislature for over a decade. “Today is a historic day for families and children across the State of New York with the passage of legislation, which raised […]
New York will no longer prosecute 16 and 17 year olds as adult criminals
Monday, April 10th, 2017Criminal justice advocates just scored another major victory. Youth and juvenile justice advocates in New York notched a huge victory on Sunday, when state lawmakers voted to raise the age of people charged and imprisoned as adults. By October 2019, teenagers under the age of 18 will no longer be funneled through jails and prisons that […]
Innocence Project: New York Passes FY18 Budget with Powerful Reforms to Prevent Wrongful Convictions
Monday, April 10th, 2017(Albany, NY — April 10, 2017) – The New York Legislature has passed the FY18 budget that incorporated reforms which will greatly reduce wrongful convictions. Specifically, these changes will mandate law enforcement to record interrogations and adopt standardized best practices for conducting police lineups, and respective safeguards to prevent false confessions and eyewitness misidentifications. “We applaud […]
State Senate to Vote Sunday Night on Budget Deal
Sunday, April 9th, 2017The State Senate is returning to Albany on Sunday night and is expected to vote in favor of the new state budget deal. Saturday, the Assembly approved the $153 billion budget, which was due April 1. Lawmakers reached a deal late Friday night. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said most items on his wish list were folded […]
Raise the Age NY Campaign Statement on Raise The Age Legislation
Saturday, April 8th, 2017In response to the passing of Raise the Age legislation in New York, Jennifer March, Executive Director of Citizens’ Committee for Children-New York; Naomi Post, Executive Director of the Children’s Defense Fund-New York and Paige Pierce, CEO of Families Together in New York State released the following statement on behalf of the Raise the Age […]
Assembly approves remaining budget bills after hours of ‘Raise the Age’ debate
Saturday, April 8th, 2017ALBANY — As the state Assembly finished action on the 2017-2018 budget Saturday evening, dozens of members — cooped up in Albany for at least 13 days — rushed out of the chamber before the final vote tally was announced. Most of their day was spent debating a “big ugly” revenue language bill that dealt […]
NY Lawmakers Agree to “Raise the age” of Criminal Responsibility from 16 to 18
Saturday, April 8th, 2017ALBANY, N.Y. — State lawmakers have agreed to raise the age at which those suspected of crimes can be charged as adults, part of a sweeping agreement reached Friday night on the state’s $150-plus billion budget. New York was one of two states in the country that charged 16- and 17-year-olds accused of crimes as […]
NY budget deal: Free tuition, upstate Uber, raise the age
Saturday, April 8th, 2017ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state will be the first in the nation to offer free college tuition to middle-class students under a new state budget deal worked out by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers. The $153 billion proposal also includes high-profile juvenile justice reforms, allows Uber and Lyft to expand upstate and […]
NY budget: Cuomo touts ‘legacy accomplishment’ — raising age of criminal responsibility
Saturday, April 8th, 2017Auburn Citizen — The state budget agreement outlined by Gov. Andrew Cuomo Friday includes a major policy shift: raising the age of criminal responsibility for 16- and 17-year-old offenders. According to Cuomo’s office, the age of juvenile delinquency would increase from 16 to 17-years-old beginning Oct. 1, 2018. It would then rise to 18 on […]
NY lawmakers agree to “Raise the age” of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18
Friday, April 7th, 2017ALBANY, N.Y. — State lawmakers have agreed to raise the age at which those suspected of crimes can be charged as adults, part of a sweeping agreement reached Friday night on the state’s $150-plus billion budget. New York was one of two states in the country that charged 16- and 17-year-olds accused of crimes as […]
New York Raises the Age of Adult Criminal Responsibility
Friday, April 7th, 2017Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie today announced the SFY 17-18 budget agreement will include provisions to enact the Assembly Majority’s longstanding goal to raise the age of adult criminal responsibility in the State of New York. “We have won a tremendous victory for communities across the state that have endured senseless tragedies and called on the […]
Agreement on Raise The Age reached according to Assembly Speaker Heastie
Friday, April 7th, 2017An agreement on increasing the age of criminal responsibility will remove 16-year-olds from county jails in 2018 and 17-year-olds in 2019, according to a release issued by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie Friday night. “This is the beginning of a new chapter in New York State where young people are given a chance to grow up […]
Raise The Age NY Statement Regarding Budget Extender
Thursday, April 6th, 2017It’s a disappointment that our elected officials have been unable to come to an agreement on a budget that includes smart-on-crime legislation that would reduce recidivism and protect public safety. Until they do so, New York will continue to lag behind the rest of the country. We urge the Governor and State Legislature to remain […]
Cuomo Hails Progress on Budget, but a Long Easter Break Beckons
Wednesday, April 5th, 2017ALBANY — With the state budget late and getting later, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Wednesday evening that negotiations on the state’s $150 billion spending plan were being held up by three issues involving affordable housing, charter schools and a deal to raise the age of criminal responsibility. Mr. Cuomo said he and lawmakers had […]
KING: As NYC makes smart decisions on criminal justice reform, Gov. Cuomo and the Senate drag their feet
Wednesday, April 5th, 2017Two huge battles for serious criminal justice reforms have been happening in New York. One battle that seemed like the far-fetched long shot of the two was advocating that Rikers Island, the embattled jail with a long litany of human rights abuses, be closed down once and for all. The overwhelming conclusion by onlookers was […]
Browder family continues fight for criminal justice reform
Wednesday, April 5th, 2017NEW YORK – The brother of a man who killed himself after being held at Rikers Island for three years without ever being charged is fighting abuse in the criminal justice system on multiple fronts. Kalief Browder’s story has been gaining momentum in recent weeks, from a bill recently proposed in Congress to the mayor’s […]
Rikers Island must remove youthful offenders in 2018 under raise-the-age reform
Wednesday, April 5th, 2017ALBANY — Youthful offenders will have to be removed from Rikers Island no later than Oct. 1 of 2018 under a provision of the state’s emerging budget, the Daily News has learned. The provision — part of a package of criminal justice reforms that would raise New York’s age of criminal responsibility from 16 to […]
State Legislators Reach Deal To Keep Most Juvenile Offenders From Being Tried As Adults
Wednesday, April 5th, 2017The state legislature has reached a deal on raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18, a measure that would bring the state in line with the vast majority of the country, and a sticking point for conservative legislators that stalled budget talks and brought the government to the verge of shutting down. The New […]
‘Raise the Age’ Negotiations Continue as Budget Talks Break Down: Reports
Wednesday, April 5th, 2017NEW YORK — A law that prevents all 16- and 17- year olds from automatically being charged as adults in New York, no matter the crime has been thrown back into limbo after budget negotiations by legislators fell apart Wednesday night, days past the deadline, according to reports. The state’s budget, originally due April 1, […]
New York Assembly Clears a Major Obstacle in Budget Talks
Tuesday, April 4th, 2017“ALBANY — The Democrat-led New York State Assembly came to terms late Tuesday on a bill that would raise the age of criminal responsibility in the state to 18, an issue that had been a major stumbling block in the state budget negotiations and was a longstanding priority for progressive groups around the state. Gov. […]
N.Y. Assembly Speaker enraged by state GOP amid raise the age conflict, considers meeting warring Dem senators
Tuesday, April 4th, 2017ALBANY — In a move sure to raise eyebrows, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie is seriously considering getting the warring Senate Democratic factions in the same room to talk about progressive issues, the Daily News has learned. Heastie, who rarely gets involved in the other chamber’s internal politics, is livid with what he felt were mistruths […]
NY State Extends Budget Talks With No Agreement Yet on Raise the Age
Tuesday, April 4th, 2017“NEW YORK — After missing a Saturday deadline in part due to disagreement over proposed raise the age legislation, New York legislators signed bills submitted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo Monday to approve a fiscal year 2018 State Budget Extender and avoid a state government shut-down. The extender funds government operations through May 31 and includes […]
Cuomo Gets (A Lot Of) What He Wanted
Tuesday, April 4th, 2017New York doesn’t have a completed state budget and members of the Legislature won’t be paid until there is one in place. But if there’s anything taken away from the mega “extender” bill aside from funding the government for the next eight weeks or so, it’s also billions of dollars in infrastructure and capital project […]
Heastie Blasts Senate GOP’s ‘Misinformation’ On Raise The Age
Tuesday, April 4th, 2017Late Monday afternoon, individual Senate Republicans released a series of statements claiming Democrats had sought to include a range of violent felonies such as rape and murder in a raise the age deal, having those crimes essentially tried in a family court setting. In a statement of his own, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie blasted those […]
Editorial: ‘Raise the age’ rightly holds up state budget
Tuesday, April 4th, 2017This year, though, there will be no on-time budget. In fact, there won’t even be a “close enough” budget, since negotiations between Cuomo and legislative leaders over the weekend failed to reach an agreement. Instead, Cuomo proposed, and legislators grudgingly agreed to, a two-month budget extender. The $40 billion budget will keep the state operating […]
Albany unable to pass full budget; Cuomo to sign extender deal
Monday, April 3rd, 2017“After Assembly and Senate leaders were unable to strike a deal on key issues such as Raise the Age or education funding, lawmakers upstate passed an “extender budget,” which allows state police officers, teachers and more to continue getting paid while the Legislature continues to hammer out a permanent deal. State lawmakers, however, will not […]
Another day, another Raise the Age debate
Monday, April 3rd, 2017“As state lawmakers voted on legislation extending the 2016-17 state budget through May 31 on Monday, debate over raising the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18 years old, a key issue in ongoing talks about a new spending plan, flared up again. State Senate Republican Majority Leader John Flanagan said on the floor […]
Advocating for Raise the Age in the State Budget
Monday, April 3rd, 2017State lawmakers have been unable to reach a consensus on raising the age of criminal responsibility. It’s one of the more contentious issues that has held up the state budget. Democratic lawmakers in both houses refuse to vote on a final spending plan without the inclusion of raise the age. We discussed this with Martin […]
‘Raise the age’ is among a handful of budget sticking points
Monday, April 3rd, 2017Senate Democrats hope to prevent a quorum to pass budget extender until raise the age is settled Despite the weekend extension on the now-late state budget, lawmakers still disagree on the hot button issue of “raising the age” of criminal responsibility, which is holding up the 2017-2018 budget, originally due at midnight last Friday. Some […]
Governor calls for 2-month budget extension; talks continue
Monday, April 3rd, 2017ALBANY, N.Y. – (AP) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for a two-month extension of the last state budget to prevent a government shutdown after he and state lawmakers on Sunday failed to reach agreement on a new spending plan. Cuomo said the stopgap budget would give legislators time to resolve their differences while postponing the […]
Speaker Heastie Statement on Raise the Age Legislation
Monday, April 3rd, 2017“It is unfortunate that Republican Senators have chosen to engage in a misinformation campaign about the intent of the Raise the Age proposal that has been a part of this year’s budget negotiations. From the very beginning, I have very clearly stated that our goal was to ensure that young people who are accused of […]
N.Y. budget talks stall again; Gov. Cuomo calls for extender
Monday, April 3rd, 2017Raise the Age measure continues to be stumbling block “Albany Lacking agreement on a plan to get more teens covered under juvenile rather than adult criminal laws, legislators on Sunday night missed the latest deadline for the 2017-18 budget, prompting Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as promised, to call for a temporary bare bones budget extender that will […]
Gov. Cuomo calls for 2-month budget extension; talks continue
Monday, April 3rd, 2017ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for a two-month extension of the last state budget to prevent a government shutdown after he and state lawmakers on Sunday failed to reach agreement on a new spending plan. Cuomo said the stopgap budget would give legislators time to resolve their differences while postponing the decision […]
State backs off N.Y.’s first government shutdown, but lawmakers fail to agree on budget
Sunday, April 2nd, 2017ALBANY — State leaders Sunday did not reach a budget agreement but nonetheless appeared poised to back down from the brink of New York’s first-ever government shutdown. In a lengthy statement released just before midnight, Gov. Cuomo said the inability of state leaders to reach an agreement on a new budget that is already three […]
With No Deal, Cuomo Will Ask for Emergency Budget Measures
Sunday, April 2nd, 2017ALBANY — Faced with a recalcitrant Legislature and a failed negotiating strategy, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said late Sunday that he would introduce emergency legislation to keep the state government in operation after efforts to pass a state budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year faltered during weekend-long talks. The fiscal year began at the stroke […]
Governor Cuomo releases statement after NY budget not passed by midnight
Saturday, April 1st, 2017ALBANY, N.Y. (WBNG) — After missing the midnight deadline to pass the state budget, New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo says he is hopeful the budget will pass by the end of the weekend. Governor Cuomo released the following statement: “These are extraordinary times in our state and country and we have an ambitious agenda […]
Cuomo’s first presidential test: Raise the age in N.Y.
Saturday, April 1st, 2017“When bipartisan legislation in North Carolina passes, New York could be left as the last state in the nation where 16- and 17-year-olds are tried as adults in criminal courts. Fortunately, there is an opportunity for New York to save itself from that dubious distinction. In the coming days, the State Senate will vote on […]
Flanagan: Close on raise the age
Saturday, April 1st, 2017ALBANY — Emerging from a closed-door meeting with Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday evening, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan said an agreement to raise the age of criminal responsibility is down to a “couple of words.” The issue, Flanagan said, “is still being discussed.” Flanagan’s statement seem to contradict what Sen. John DeFrancisco, Flanagan’s deputy, said a […]
Statement on the Budget from Raise the Age
Friday, March 31st, 2017Dear Colleagues, There has been a lot of speculation in the last few hours about whether Raise the Age is in the budget or not. Let us be clear, nothing is definitively out of the budget until the budget is done. Governor Cuomo has said repeatedly that this is a top priority of his. He […]
Raise the age — and do it right now
Friday, March 31st, 2017“Jeff Klein: In the Bronx, not far from my district, police picked up Kalief Browder on the false accusation that he snatched a backpack. The arrest began his nightmarish, three-year detention on Rikers Island, where he attempted to take his own life several times. Browder’s ordeal shone a national spotlight on the grim reality faced […]
Stewart-Cousins meets with Cuomo, will scrutinize raise the age deal
Friday, March 31st, 2017Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins met privately with Gov. Andrew Cuomo for a briefing on the state budget on Thursday. She and her 21 colleagues were still looking to see the exact proposal on raising the age of criminal responsibility. “We are looking forward to getting the language,” Stewart-Cousins told reporters. “I’ve always been clear […]
Locking Up Teens With Adults Is Cruel And Unusual, But It Still Happens Here Read more: http://elitedaily.com/news/politics/rikers-island-therapist-explains-why-locking-up-teens-is-cruel-and-unusual-punishment/1844591/ Follow us on Instagram | Elite Daily on Facebook
Friday, March 31st, 2017Jumping turnstiles, stealing cellphones and getting in fights — these are just some of the misdemeanors teenagers are put in jail for in New York and North Carolina, alongside much older, violent offenders. Young people in these states are thrown into adults prisons before they are eligible to vote or can legally buy cigarettes, and experts agree […]
Cuomo’s first presidential test: Raise the age in N.Y.
Friday, March 31st, 2017When bipartisan legislation in North Carolina passes, New York could be left as the last state in the nation where 16- and 17-year-olds are tried as adults in criminal courts. Fortunately, there is an opportunity for New York to save itself from that dubious distinction. In the coming days, the State Senate will vote on […]
Raise the age details cause Democratic outrage
Friday, March 31st, 2017ALBANY — Negotiations on raising the age of criminal responsibility took a step backwards on Thursday after Democratic lawmakers voiced concern that they were ceding too much ground in negotiations with Senate Republicans. Key Republican senators said early Thursday that they expected the criminal justice reform — which would reduce the number of 16- and 17-year-olds who […]
Activists Hopeful ‘Torture’ of NY Teens Ends With Passage of Raise the Age Legislation This Year
Friday, March 31st, 2017ALBANY, New York — Alicia Barraza started her testimony with statistics. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds who serve time in New York’s adult facilities are twice as likely to report being beaten by staff, she said matter-of-factly. Looking straight ahead at a panel of New York state senators, she explained that juveniles in adult facilities are 50 […]
Does Treating Kids like Adults Make a Difference?
Thursday, March 30th, 2017Two assumptions are behind recent legislation passed in many U.S. states which make it easier to try juvenile offenders as adults. Young offenders will receive sentences in the adult criminal system which are harsher and more proportional to their crimes. The threat of this harsher punishment will result in lowered juvenile crime rates. Although there […]
Cuomo’s tuition proposal, raise the age remain popular among N.Y. voters, new poll finds
Thursday, March 30th, 2017“ALBANY — A number of items being discussed during the state budget negotiations remain popular among New York voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. Respondents backed proposals such as subsidized tuition at SUNY and CUNY (70 percent to 26 percent), raising the age of criminal responsibility (59 percent to 29 percent) and […]
Dying Young in Prison
Thursday, March 30th, 2017“Alicia Barraza started her testimony with statistics. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds who serve time in New York’s adult facilities are twice as likely to report being beaten by staff, she said matter-of-factly. Looking straight ahead at a panel of New York state senators, she explained that juveniles in adult facilities are 50 percent more likely to […]
Most New Yorkers support millionaires’ tax, ‘raise the age,’ free college tuition
Thursday, March 30th, 2017“ALBANY — With state leaders racing to finalize a new state budget by the Saturday start of the new fiscal year, a majority of New Yorkers say tax the rich, keep teens out of adult prisons and offer free tuition for some public college students. According to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday, 56% […]
New Yorkers Say 2-1, Don’t Try Kids As Adults,
Thursday, March 30th, 2017“Teenagers 16 and 17 years old who are accused of a crime should be treated as juveniles and not sent to adult prisons, New York State voters say 59 – 29 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Republicans say 49 – 40 percent these teenagers should be charged as adults, but every […]
GOP senators expect raise the age deal in final budget
Thursday, March 30th, 2017“ALBANY — Barring an unexpected development, raising the age of criminal responsibility will be included in the state budget this year, according to the Senate’s number two Republican. “I think it will be done,” Sen. John DeFrancisco said Thursday on Fred Dicker’s radio show. However, DeFrancisco was less enthusiastic about what the reform — which […]
Raise The Age Blow Up?
Thursday, March 30th, 2017“The contentious debate over raising the age of criminal responsibility in New York is threatening to blow up a broader deal over the state budget on Friday, the final day of the state’s fiscal year. A Republican source Friday afternoon told NY1’s Zack Fink the measure was out of the budget talks as lawmakers remain […]
