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City Council Members, Youth, Families, Service Providers, Public Defenders, and Advocates Call on the Mayor to Fulfill the Promise of Raise the Age
Tuesday, April 17th, 2018Youth, advocates, and providers urge City to reverse plan to staff detention centers with Department of Corrections staff, remove all 16 and 17-year-olds from Rikers Island by October and fully fund Raise the Age and Close to Home FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE WHAT: City Council Members, Youth, Families, Service Providers, Public Defenders, and Advocates will […]
How the 2018-19 state budget affects the nonprofit sector
Monday, April 2nd, 2018New York nonprofits scored some funding wins, but the victory was not shared across the board. New York nonprofits scored some funding wins in the final state budget for the upcoming year, but the victory was not shared across the board. More funding for social programs and human services contractors’ pay made its way into […]
Raise the Age-NY Campaign Response to the State Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Adopted Budget
Monday, April 2nd, 2018For Immediate Release: Contact: Elysia Murphy, emurphy@cccnewyork.org , (212) 673-1800 x18 The Raise the Age – New York Campaign applauds the $100 million investment in raise the age, however, we are deeply disappointed that the State’s newly adopted budget does not provide any financial support to New York City to implement the new law to […]
Change Makers: Elizabeth Powers and Stephanie Gendell, Raise the Age NY
Monday, April 2nd, 2018Until recently, New York State was one of two states in the country that treated 16- and 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system. Nearly one year ago, on April 10, 2017, Governor Cuomo signed Raise the Age legislation into state law, which changed the age of criminal responsibility to 18. The law will go into […]
Raise the Age rolls out in October
Sunday, April 1st, 2018BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – State leaders earmarked 100 million dollars in this year’s budget to make sure “Raise the Age” gets off to a good start. The bill became law last session; it will change the way 16 and 17-year-olds enter the criminal justice system in New York state. “Currently if 16 or 17-year-olds are arrested […]
Raise the Age-NY Campaign Statement In Response to Assembly and Senate One House Budget Bills
Monday, March 19th, 2018For Immediate Release: Contact: Elysia Murphy, (212) 673-1800 x18, emurphy@cccnewyork.org In response to the release of the Assembly and Senate One House Budget Bills for State Fiscal Year 2018-2019, the Raise the Age-NY Campaign releases the following Statement: The Raise the Age-NY Campaign continues to be grateful to the Governor and the Legislature for passing […]
‘Raise the Age’ law will soften how some teen offenders are prosecuted
Saturday, March 10th, 2018The 16-year-old boy had armed himself with what he called “a replica gun” and robbed a woman in the parking lot of the Fashion Outlets mall. His guilty plea to that felony as an adult in a Lockport courtroom in December meant he faced as many as seven years in state prison, locked up with older, […]
Advocates Meet with Legislators in Albany on Raise the Age Funding
Friday, March 9th, 2018On Tuesday, February 27, 2018, more than two dozen youth justice advocates from across the state converged in Albany to talk with legislators about how the proposed state budget would affect the implementation of the new Raise the Age law. Last April, after years of debate, New York passed its historic Raise the Age law, […]
70+ Local Organizations Send Letter to the Mayor of NYC
Friday, March 2nd, 2018March 1, 2017 – As New York City moves forward with implementation of historic Raise the Age legislation, over 70 local organizations, including service providers, grassroots, legal, and advocacy organizations, sent a letter to Mayor de Blasio calling on him to halt the plan to staff juvenile detention facilities with Department of Correction (DOC) Officers […]
As ‘Raise the Age’ deadline nears, counties mulling options for juvenile facility
Friday, March 2nd, 2018County and local governments will be able to get financing help from the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York to build juvenile housing facilities within the state’s Raise the Age standards. Last year, the state Legislature passed a budget containing the Raise the Age initiative, which raises the age of criminal responsibility to […]
On March 1, learn what criminal justice reform is about
Monday, February 19th, 2018At long last, momentum is building to address fundamental problems with our criminal justice system. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing a revamping of our discriminatory bail system, new requirements for prosecutors to share key evidence with defendants, and procedural changes to get cases resolved faster (as required by the U.S. Constitution). Westchester DA Anthony Scarpino […]
WAS RAISE THE AGE ENOUGH FOR NY? SENATE DEMS SAY NO
Wednesday, February 14th, 2018Last year, the state legislature worked through budget season to pass the Raise the Age law. But lawmakers aren’t stopping there — they’re pushing for reforms to other aspects of the criminal justice system. Nick Reisman reports. ALBANY, N.Y. — Governor Andrew Cuomo this year is pushing a range of criminal justice reforms, but Senate Democrats […]
Cuomo’s juvenile justice mistake: Proposing to defund Close to Home
Saturday, February 10th, 2018When Jeremy Taveras was 16 years old, back in 2012, he was arrested for gang-related activity. Things were turbulent at home, and he was struggling in school. A Family Court judge ordered that Jeremy be placed in a program that was new at the time, known as Close to Home. And so he lived not […]
Lawmakers ask about costs for Raise the Age, proposal to end cash bail
Tuesday, January 30th, 2018ALBANY — Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks testified before the joint legislative budget hearing on public protection Tuesday about what he sees as gains in unclogging a backed-up court system, and the $5.7 million the court system is requesting to address the new “Raise the Age” law. Marks was first to speak in an all-day […]
Raise the age law comes with challenges
Tuesday, January 30th, 2018While barely one month into 2018, there already are myriad criminal justice system and court reforms ongoing throughout the state that are expected to have a quick impact. The Herkimer County Legislature recently acknowledged receipt of a $30,200 state grant to be used by the District Attorney’s Office to help speed up the processing of […]
Editorial: Revisit teen sentences
Monday, January 29th, 2018THE ISSUE: New York will no longer treat many 16- and 17-year old offenders as adults. THE STAKES: Aren’t those already in the system worthy of a second look? — New York took an enlightened step in criminal justice last year when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation raising the age at which young people are […]
Statement on the Budget from the Raise the Age – New York Campaign
Wednesday, January 17th, 2018The RTA-NY Campaign applauds Governor Cuomo for including $100 million for expense side services and $50 million for capital needs in the Executive Budget for SFY 2018-2019 to implement the legislation to raise the age of criminal responsibility. While we appreciate the Governor’s critical investments in raise the age, other proposed Executive Budgetary actions undermine […]
New Laws on the Books: What New Yorkers Should Know
Tuesday, January 16th, 2018By: Alyssa Pressler, Jan 16, 2018 The bell drop for 2018 brought in a new year, but also brought with it a number of fairly progressive, controversial and some much anticipated new laws to New York. Many of the new laws went into effect on Jan. 1 this year and drastically affect families and youth […]
The Top Criminal-Justice Wins of 2017
Monday, December 25th, 2017There’s no other way to put it: 2017 was bleak. Bleak because the country’s top public health organization is now prohibited from using the term “science-based.” Bleak because we’re surprised that a man accused of sexually harassing and assaulting young girls—and who extols slavery—lost an election. Bleak because the president of these United States stood in front of a portrait […]
Governor Cuomo Grants Clemency to 61 Individuals
Sunday, December 3rd, 2017Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today issued pardons to 18 individuals who are contributing members of society and face the threat of deportation and other immigration-related challenges as a result of previous convictions, pardons to 39 individuals who committed misdemeanors and non-violent crimes when they were 16 or 17 years old and have been crime free […]
More States Need to Halt Prosecution of Youth as Adults
Monday, November 6th, 2017By Maureen Washburn This month marks one year since the passage of Proposition 57, a California ballot measure that prohibited district attorneys from filing charges against youth as young as 14 directly in adult criminal court through a practice known as “direct file.” The initiative passed with 64 percent of the vote, signaling strong popular support for curtailing […]
New York counties decry ‘Raise the Age’
Saturday, October 28th, 2017ALBANY – The advocacy group for New York’s county governments said Friday the state has not provided enough information to allow local officials to prepare for requirements related to an increase in the age of criminal responsibility. The so-called Raise the Age statute increases the age by which people can be prosecuted as […]
RAISE THE AGE: HOW TO PAY FOR IT?
Thursday, October 26th, 2017Changing the state’s juvenile justice system required a new way of looking at criminal responsibility for 16- and 17-year-old offenders. And it will also require money. Law enforcement officials on the county level worry the cost will have an impact on how the law will be carried out. “The ability, I’d say, for the resources […]
Raise the Age: Turning a Reform Law Into a Reality
Wednesday, October 25th, 2017By Elizabeth Powers In April 2017, a landmark new law made New York the 49th state to acknowledge that 16- and 17-year-olds should not be automatically considered adults in the eyes of the criminal justice system. It was a hard-won victory for reformers and for many criminal justice practitioners, who had long decried the […]
A LOOK AT HOW THE RAISE THE AGE LAW CAME TO BE
Monday, October 23rd, 2017“In October 2018, a year from now, 16 year olds who commit misdemeanors will no longer be treated as adults in court. And two years from now, all minors will be given age-appropriate consequences when they commit a crime. The battle to Raise the Age of criminal responsibility was long and hard-fought by advocates and […]
What is the new sealing law?
Friday, October 13th, 2017Starting October 2017, people convicted of no more than two crimes (only one felony) may apply to have eligible NY convictions sealed if at least 10 years have passed since sentencing or release from jail or prison. What is the new sealing law? The new sealing law, passed as part of Raise the Age legislation, […]
New Laws Taking Effect – October 2017
Saturday, October 7th, 2017Please find below a chart provided by the New York State Assembly of laws passed this past year that are going into effect this month. Each bill below I supported and they touch on different areas of interest – criminal justice, recycling, seniors and vulnerable citizens rights and an effort to expand CPR training. Today […]
New law allows for sealing of records on some past convictions
Saturday, October 7th, 2017A new law takes effect today that helps people with some past criminal convictions have those records sealed. It’s part of the “Raise the Age” legislation that passed statewide in May. The new law allows an eligible individual to seek to seal past convictions if they meet certain criteria. Most crimes qualify, other than a […]
New York’s Raise the Age law going into effect
Friday, October 6th, 2017ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The New York Governor’s Office announced that the state’s Raise the Age law will go into effect on Saturday. The governor’s office says the law allows individuals who have remained crime-free for 10 years to request that certain state convictions be sealed. Excluded from sealing are convictions for sex crimes or any […]
Raise the Age Passage Celebrated
Friday, July 28th, 2017WHITE PLAINS – After several years of letter writing, petition signing, forums, news articles, social media campaigns and lobby days in Albany, the legislation known as Raise the Age of Criminal Responsibility from 16 to 18 (RTA), passed the New York State Legislature, this spring. Mary Jane Shimsky, County Leg., Cora Greenberg, WCA Exec Dir. Omar […]
What’s Next for New York’s Young People Under Raise the Age?
Sunday, July 23rd, 2017“I’ve spent 15 years working inside New York’s justice system, representing teenagers and doing research inside juvenile facilities. When the New York State Legislature passed legislation to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18, I viewed this change not as resolution of a long-standing problem within New York’s justice system, but rather […]
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 […]
