New York Governor Kathy Hochul has sidestepped a potential fight with fellow Democrats over reform of the state's youth criminal justice law in her latest budget proposal. The move, which maintains key elements of the landmark "Raise the Age" law that increased the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18, comes after sustained lobbying from prosecutors, police, and law enforcement groups who had hinted at revising the law.
Critics argue that the law's provisions have been largely ineffective in addressing rising youth crime rates, with advocates pointing to data showing a decline in overall youth crime since its passage. The issue also remains a contentious one within the state Democratic Party, with some lawmakers having signaled their support for maintaining the law as it stands.
Hochul's decision not to pursue changes to Raise the Age appears to have been driven by concerns about the potential backlash from progressives and the need to avoid reopening old wounds ahead of this year's re-election race. However, some critics, including Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly, who is also president of the New York District Attorneys Association, argue that necessary reform efforts have been sidestepped.
The group says it will continue to push for targeted revisions to the law, including moving more juvenile gun possession cases back into criminal court and giving prosecutors greater access to sealed family court case records. Advocates emphasize that community-based programs, counseling, and wraparound services are essential in addressing underlying issues driving youth crime, with funding for these initiatives remaining woefully inadequate.
The controversy surrounding Raise the Age has been ongoing since 2017, when New York was one of only two states automatically charging 16- and 17-year-olds as adults. The law passed following the high-profile case of Kalief Browder, who spent three years at Rikers Island awaiting trial for a minor charge before taking his own life.
As the state's Democratic majorities prepare to face another re-election test, advocates are warning that without sustained efforts to address underlying issues driving youth crime and implement evidence-based reforms, they may be forced to revisit these contentious issues in the future.
Critics argue that the law's provisions have been largely ineffective in addressing rising youth crime rates, with advocates pointing to data showing a decline in overall youth crime since its passage. The issue also remains a contentious one within the state Democratic Party, with some lawmakers having signaled their support for maintaining the law as it stands.
Hochul's decision not to pursue changes to Raise the Age appears to have been driven by concerns about the potential backlash from progressives and the need to avoid reopening old wounds ahead of this year's re-election race. However, some critics, including Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly, who is also president of the New York District Attorneys Association, argue that necessary reform efforts have been sidestepped.
The group says it will continue to push for targeted revisions to the law, including moving more juvenile gun possession cases back into criminal court and giving prosecutors greater access to sealed family court case records. Advocates emphasize that community-based programs, counseling, and wraparound services are essential in addressing underlying issues driving youth crime, with funding for these initiatives remaining woefully inadequate.
The controversy surrounding Raise the Age has been ongoing since 2017, when New York was one of only two states automatically charging 16- and 17-year-olds as adults. The law passed following the high-profile case of Kalief Browder, who spent three years at Rikers Island awaiting trial for a minor charge before taking his own life.
As the state's Democratic majorities prepare to face another re-election test, advocates are warning that without sustained efforts to address underlying issues driving youth crime and implement evidence-based reforms, they may be forced to revisit these contentious issues in the future.
. Hochul's decision is super sus tho idk if she's really thinkin bout wht's best 4 da kids or just playin it safe 2 b elected 
. need 2 get back 2 ths & figure out wht's goin on w/ dis youth crime crisis 
imo, Hochul's move might seem like a win for Dems but its actually a sign of bigger issue - we're still stuck in reactive mode instead of proactively addressing the root causes of youth crime 
. Those community programs & counseling services arent just nice to have, they're lifesavers! But funding remains a joke 
. And yeah, Hochul's probably not wanna deal with the backlash from her own party members 
, but thats no excuse to sweep this under the rug 
. The real question is, when are we gonna learn that true progress comes from working together towards a common goal? 
but at the same time i feel like thats not really solving the problem either... all these critics sayin that community programs and counseling are key but hes not makin moves on that front... it feels like hes just kickin the can down the road instead of takin real action...
. One thing's for sure, though: it's gonna be a long and tough road to address these underlying issues, but I'm actually kinda optimistic about the progress that can be made 
.
. But honestly, can't we all just get along? 
It's not like she's getting rid of the law altogether – she's just tweaking it a bit to make it more palatable for everyone. And let's be real, some of these critics are just trying to stir up drama ahead of the election 
. I think Hochul made the right call here, and we should support her efforts to find common ground 
.
I think Hochul's move is a total cop-out! You've got one of the youngest people in the country being treated like an adult when it comes to crime, but instead of making real changes, she's just throwing everyone under the bus and hoping no one calls her out on it 
.
The data's there, it shows a decline in youth crime since its passage, but we need to tackle the underlying issues driving this trend. 
Community programs & counseling are key, but funding remains woefully inadequate 
. But let's be real, it's just another example of how 'reform' can mean different things to different people. The fact remains that the system isn't working and more needs to be done, not less 
. If she'd gone ahead and changed the law now, it would've sparked a huge fight within the party 
. I mean, who wants to deal with that? 
. We need to be addressing these underlying issues driving youth crime and investing in community programs 
. It's not going to solve anything if we just keep patching up the law without making real changes 
I mean, stats show youth crime rates have actually been going down since it went into effect. It's like, aren't we trying to help these kids or what? 
I wish someone would just be honest about whether or not this law is really helping, instead of trying to sidestep the issue.
. It's like she thinks all these cops and prosecutors are gonna magically fix things on their own. Meanwhile, Rensselaer County DA Donnelly is still pushing for real changes to address youth crime. Those juvenile gun possession cases need to be handled differently, but of course, it'll never get done with Hochul playing it safe