A coalition of youth justice advocates and elected officials rallied on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday, January 14th, urging state lawmakers to preserve New York’s Raise the Age law following Governor Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address.
The Coalition to Protect Raise the Age: Build Futures, Invest in Youth, which represents more than 220 organizations statewide, called on Albany to reject proposals that would weaken the law and to unlock nearly $1 billion in state funds allocated to support its implementation that remains largely unspent. The group also pressed legislators to pass the Youth Justice Innovation Fund, a measure designed to streamline funding to counties and community-based organizations.
Raise the Age, enacted in 2017 and implemented in 2018, increased the age at which individuals are automatically prosecuted as adults from 16 to 18. Advocates argue the policy has improved public safety by prioritizing rehabilitation and education while still holding youth accountable for serious offenses. Data cited by the coalition indicate that 16- and 17-year-olds are not driving crime trends.
In a statement, the coalition declared, “Raise the Age is working exactly as intended. The data are clear, year after year: young people are not driving crime, and treating children as children makes our communities safer.”
Supporters emphasized that the law still allows serious cases to remain in adult court and argued that fully funding youth services is essential to sustaining its impact.
