Issue

New York City has revolutionized its approach to how young people in custody are treated. In addition to launching an unprecedented array of services and alternatives to incarceration for teenagers in trouble, the City has vocally supported legislative reforms that promote treating 16- and 17-year-olds more appropriately within a juvenile justice system.

Solutions

• Safely reducing the number of young people in custody. The steep reduction of teenagers in custody has been driven by new case expediting services, as well as dedicated support services that prepare young people to re-enter the community.
• Designing developmentally appropriate facilities. With the passage of this Raise the Age legislation in New York State, the City’s youth who commit non-violent crimes will now receive age-appropriate housing and programming to lower their risk of re-offense. The City has supported and pursued an accelerated schedule to move 16- and 17-year-olds off of Rikers Island in favor of more developmentally appropriate facilities for young people.
• Alternatives to Incarceration. Instead of detaining young people, judges will have new options to release young people to community-based programs including:
• Family therapy: The program provides support and therapy not just for the young person, but also for his or her entire family. In this way, the program will ensure that the young person has a network of support to build a productive future;
• Intensive mentoring: New to New York City, this program will offer young people multiple years of intensive mentorship and social work support, along with opportunities for job readiness training, paid internships, and career development. Intended to serve young people at the highest risk of justice involvement, this program will also allow referrals from police, prosecutors, and others.