The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/tag/raise-the-age/)
As the state began implementing its ‘Raise the Age’ law this month, advocates worry whether the system can handle the extra burden on juvenile detention facilities—and keep the young people safe.
Juveniles under the age of 17 will no longer be prosecuted as adults under a state law that went into effect Oct. 1. But since the law isn’t retroactive, thousands of young people arrested earlier are caught in the old system—with potentially devastating consequences, advocates say.
African-American teens in Pennsylvania’s second-most populous county were 20 times more likely than their white peers to be arrested and charged as adults in 2016 and 2017, according to a newspaper investigation.
New York has finally joined other states in barring 16- and 17-year-olds who get in trouble with the law from being tried as adults. But now officials are scrambling to find a secure place to house them and keep them out of the justice system.
The city Correction Department has completed the move of 16- and 17-year-olds off Rikers Island to juvenile facilities in what Mayor Bill de Blasio called “an historic day for criminal justice reform.” The long-awaited move comes as a new “Raise the Age” state law approved by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the legislature that treats 16-year-olds accused of crimes as juveniles instead of adults took effect Monday.
A hearing on state Senate Bill 1391, which would prevent youths under 16 from being sent to adult courts, is scheduled Thursday. Supporters say it will reduce recidivism rates and better rehabilitate and prepare youth for successful, productive reentry into society.
A U.S. delegation to Germany, Croatia and The Netherlands last March found lessons that U.S. policymakers could learn as several states consider expanding the age of criminal jurisdiction beyond 18, said a study released Tuesday.
The results of 2014 legislation in The Netherlands are still inconclusive, but two Americans examining juvenile justice programs in Europe say early data suggest that the presence of older youth in juvenile court may promote more leniency for 16- and 17-year-olds.
Some states are considering an increase in the age of adult jurisdiction beyond 18. But two Wisconsin researchers caution that might increase juvenile criminality.
Long-overdue juvenile justice reforms have increased the age at which juveniles can be charged as adults to 17 or 18. But a few states want to increase it to as high as 21– an initiative that one justice researcher argues could be counterproductive.