State Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, R,C-Pulaski, proposed legislation reforming Raise the Age saying it created a system where young people commit crimes with no consequence…. A study released by John Jay College of Criminal Justice in February paints a different picture of youth violence in New York City, however.
Some experts believe sending teenagers back to adult jails isn’t a solution to the chaos at the juvenile centers. Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, thinks the city and ACS need to rethink forced confinement for young people charged with major crimes.
After a string of shootings near schools, the police and the city are grappling with how to deal with an uptick in incidents both perpetrated by and victimizing young people.
“Hipotéticamente, los desafíos de enjuiciamiento introducidos por la ley estatal podrían haber contribuido al aumento de los delitos violentos, pero ese efecto no es evidente en los datos policiales de la ciudad de Nueva York”, agregó el reporte.
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.
The annual number of people under 18 shot across the city has more than doubled since 2019, and the number of kids committing shootings is also on the rise. “Do you have an indication why it’s happening?” McNicholas asked Professor Jeffrey Butts, with the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
