| Advocacy Win for Criminal Justice Reform |
| Governor Hochul signed into law ground-breaking legislation to end the arrest and prosecution of children as young as 7 as juvenile delinquents for almost all offenses and create an alternative response of community-based supports. The result of years of advocacy led by young people, defenders, community-based service providers and advocates. ICNY has been lucky enough to have been involved in this initiative and to see this measure be signed into law.
We applaud Governor Hochul, and the bill’s sponsors Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi and Senator Jamaal Bailey, for their leadership and tireless commitment to New York’s children. This legislation recognizes that criminalizing young children is counter-productive; it runs contrary to scientific research and the recommendations of leading pediatric experts, penalizes children who are more likely to have mental health issues, and increases the risk of involvement in the adult justice system later in life. Today, New York opens a new chapter. |
