Public officials may point to “juvenile” crime when responding to public concerns about community safety. Recent statements by federal officials echo the political rhetoric of the 1990s when politicians across the country blamed young people for what were actually generalized increases in crime.
It does not appear to be accurate to attribute recent increases in violent crime to the State law known as “Raise the Age.”
Violent index crimes (murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) generally declined statewide between 2010 and 2020 before surging with the onset of the social and economic disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The surge was limited to New York City and its suburbs.
Violent arrests among New Yorkers under age 18 surged after 2020, most likely for the same reasons as adults.
Increasing incidents of shoplifting and other forms of “petit larceny” are observable in the most recent crime data released by police in New York City.
Youth aged 17 and younger still account for a small portion of violent crime in New York City. As the incidence of interpersonal violence shifted in recent years, the changes among people under age 18 generally mirrored the scale and direction of trends among adults aged 18 and older.
