Press Releases
Hundreds of Advocates, Elected Officials and Law Enforcement Experts Urge State Legislature to Pass Raise the Age LegislationReleased March 8, 2016Contact: Kenneth Londono, kenneth.londono@berlinrosen.com, 646-335-0420 Hundreds of advocates, elected officials, law enforcement experts and members of the Raise the Age NY campaign converged today at a press conference urging legislators to pass legislation in this year’s state budget to raise the age of criminal responsibility in New York. New York remains one of only two states in the country where 16 year-olds are automatically charged as adults, which has been shown to increase the chance of re-offending and reduce public safety. Governor Cuomo included a proposal to raise the age in his 2016-2017 Executive Budget. The proposal holds youth charged with misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies accountable in Family Court and creates a special youth part of the adult Criminal Court to handle the cases of youth charged with violent felonies. A final budget is due by April 1. “Some members seem to be deliberately mischaracterizing this proposal,” said Samantha Levine, Acting Executive Director of the Children’s Defense Fund – New York. “Under this legislation, youth who commit misdemeanors and non-violent felonies will be treated Family Court – which has been shown to reduce the likelihood of future crime – while those who commit violent crimes will continue to be treated appropriately. This bill is good for young people and good for public safety.” “We can no longer tolerate a system that takes young people who may have made a mistake and brands them with a scarlet letter for the rest of their lives. Charging youth as adults actually makes us all less safe,” said Paige Pierce, CEO of Families Together in New York State. “It makes it much more difficult for youth to turn their lives around. Raising the age gives these children a second chance, a chance to build a better future.” “If New York really wants to be the progressive capital of the country then it should raise the age. New York is one of two states, the other North Carolina, which still charges 16 and 17 year olds as adults,” said Jennifer March, Executive Director of Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York. “Research into brain development affirms that adolescents are in fact children and that the human brain is not fully formed until the age of 25. This means they can learn from their mistakes and turn their lives around. It is time to raise the age. About the Raise the Age NY campaign: Raise the Age NY is a public awareness campaign that includes national and local advocates, youth, parents, law enforcement and legal representative groups, faith leaders and unions that have come together to increase public awareness of the need to implement a comprehensive approach to raise the age of criminal responsibility in New York State so that the legal process responds to all children as children and provides services and placement options that better meet the rehabilitative needs of all children and youth. New York is one of only two states in the country (the other is North Carolina) that have failed to recognize what research and science have confirmed – adolescents are children, and prosecuting and placing them in the adult criminal justice system doesn’t work for them and doesn’t work for public safety. In 2013, nearly 34,000 16- and 17-year olds were arrested and faced prosecution in the adult system – the vast majority for non-violent crimes. Children who are prosecuted as adults are more likely to continue committing crimes in the future. Children who are treated as children are more likely to stay out of jail, and out of the justice system:
Raise the Age NY is a campaign that supports raising the age of criminal responsibility for all children in New York to improve outcomes for children and public safety. For more information about the Raise the Age campaign, visit www.raisetheageny.com. Lead group members: Center for Community Alternatives Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York Correctional Association of New York Families Together in New York State Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies Herstory Writers Workshop, Inc. NAACP Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy The Children’s Agenda The Children’s Defense Fund – New York The Fund for Modern Courts Westchester Children’s Association Youth Represent Additional supporters to date: 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East 32BJ SEIU Alternatives for Battered Women American Friends Service Committee (NY) Amnesty International Arab American Association of NY Association for Community Living, Inc. Association of NYS Youth Bureaus Association to Benefit Children Harry Belafonte Bronx Christian Fellowship Church Bronx Clergy Roundtable Brooklyn Community Services Brooklyn Defender Services Campaign to End the New Jim Crow Casa Rochester/Monroe County, Inc. Center for Children’s Initiatives Center for Popular Democracy Child Welfare Organizing Project Children’s Village Citizens Action of New York City of Glen Cove Youth Bureau Coalition for Asian American Children and Families Coalition for Education Justice Coalition for Hispanic Children and Families Coalition for the Homeless Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Commission on the Public’s Health System Communities United for Police Reform Community Connections for Youth Community Service Society Community Voices for Youth and Families Crossway Church Dignity in Schools Campaign – New York Equal Justice Initiative Faith in New York Families On The Move of NYC, Inc. First Corinthian Baptist Church Forestdale Inc. Good Shepherd Services Graham Windham Human Services Council Jewish Child Care Association Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club Latino Justice PRLDEF Lawyers for Children Leake &Watts Services, Inc. Legal Action Center Legal Aid Society Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Long Island Progressive Coalition Lutheran Family Health Centers Make the Road New York Montefiore School Health Program National Association of Social Workers – New York State National Economic and Social Rights Initiative Neighborhood Family Services Coalition New York American Academy of Pediatrics, District II New York Association of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers, Inc. New York Center for Juvenile Justice New York Civil Liberties Union New York Lawyers for the Public Interest New York Society for Ethical Culture New York State Coalition for Children’s Mental Health New York State Coalition for School-Based Health Centers New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare New York Theological Seminary NYC Jails Action Coalition Partnership for After School Education (PASE) Partnership for the Public Good Partners in Restorative Initiatives Pumphouse Projects Save the Kids SCO Family of Services Staten Island Council on Child Abuse and Neglect S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth Inc. Teachers Unite The Black Institute The Brotherhood/Sister Sol The Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES) The Children’s Aid Society The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies, Inc. The Fortune Society The Legal Aid Society The New York Foundling The Osborne Association The Partnership For Public Good The Resolution Plan Tremont United Methodist Church United Neighborhood Houses Unique People Services Uniting Disabled Individuals, Inc Urban Health Plan, Inc. Urban Justice Center Urban Youth Collaborative VOCAL-NY Women’s City Club of New York Pastor Mike Walrond William F. Ryan Community Health Network YOUTH POWER! ###
TagsFamily & Community |
Download |
