The Campaign for Youth Justice Applauds Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his Support of ‘Raising the Age’ in New York State

Today Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) delivered his annual, ‘State of the State’ Address in which he announced his support to ‘Raise the Age’ of juvenile court jurisdiction in the state of New York.

The Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ) applauds Gov. Cuomo for addressing this issue and urging swift action movement on the measure this year:

“The support to’ Raise the Age’ in New York state arrives at a moment when there is a real opportunity for reform,” said Liz Ryan, President and Founder of CFYJ. “We applaud Gov. Cuomo for recognizing that youth have developmental differences from adults as well as great potential for rehabilitation, both of which should be taken into account in sentencing.”

According to a recent report issued by CFYJ, there are an estimated 250,000 youth in adult court each year, and nearly 100,000 youth placed in adult jails and prisons each year. Public opinion strongly favors rehabilitation and treatment over incarceration and judicial review over automatic prosecution in adult court.

New York would join 23 other states that have made significant legislative reforms in the last decade to address the issue of children in the adult criminal justice system.