Advocates are preparing for a scrappy fight in Albany this session over a law known as “Raise the Age.”
Many prosecutors and police agencies across the state are pushing for changes to the 2017 statute which moves 16 and 17 year olds out of adult courts and into family courts.
The law is dubbed “Raise the Age” because it raises the age of criminal responsibility to 18.
While repealing the law isn’t being widely discussed, reforming it is. The fight centers around two issues: how the law has been funded, and whether to amend certain provisions, like leaving family court cases sealed.
According to Jonathan McLean, chief executive officer of the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES), the law may be eight years old, but it’s never been fully funded, so its effectiveness cannot be accurately measured.
McLean and other activists are pushing for a $50 million Youth Justice Innovation Fund administered by the state Department of Criminal Justice Services.
McLean spoke with Capital Tonight about the issue and the pending battle in Albany.
