1. Dismantling Rochester’s Cradle to Prison Pipeline
Raise the Age – New York

2. Who is an Adult in NY?
New York is the only state other than North Carolina that prosecutes ALL youth as adults when they turn 16. Most states prosecute youth as adults at age 18.
New York prosecutes year olds as adults for certain crimes.
Children as young as 7 can
be charged with crimes.

3. Who is an Adult in NY?
For all age groups, Monroe County has the highest incarceration rate of any county in New York State.
16 and 17 year olds in Monroe County are also incarcerated at rates higher than most counties in NYS.
Of 16 and 17 year olds arrested in 2010, Monroe County was tied for 12th highest percentage of youth confined to adult jails and tied for 9th highest percentage of youth incarcerated in an adult prison out of 62 counties.
Community Summit on Race, Race and Criminal/Juvenile Justice Team, Facing Race Embracing Equity: Rochester’s racial equity initiative (May 30, 2013)
Criminal Justice Case Processing of Year Olds (January 4, 2013). Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) OJRP

4. County
Prison
Jail
Probation
Other Sentence
Not Convicted Or Adjudicated
Total N %
NYC Total
486
1.8
2158
8.1
745
2.8
5718
21.4
17643
66.0
26750
100.0
Albany 28
3.9 68
9.5 66
9.2
217
30.3
337
47.1
716
Chautauqua 5
1.9 63
24.3 20
7.7 61
23.6
110
42.5
259
Chemung 2
1.1 30
16.6 24
13.3 53
29.3 72
39.8
181
Columbia 1
1.0 22
22.7 14
14.4
24.7 36
37.1 97
Cortland 3
4.9
8.2 8
13.1
36.1 23
37.7
Delaware
1.3
18.4 6
7.9 26
34.2 29
38.2 76
Fulton 25
5.5 50
45.5 27
24.5
Greene
3.4 11
18.6
42.4 19
32.2 59
Lewis
14.3
8.6
17.1
22.9 13 35
Livingston
1.2 21
25.3
16.9 16
19.3 31
37.3 83
Madison
4.3 10 17
38.6 70
Monroe 49
3.3
246
16.3
149
9.9
184
12.2
879
58.3
1507
Onondaga 43
4.6 87
139
14.7
143
15.1
533
56.4
945
Orleans
7.1
11.4 7
10.0 18
25.7 32
45.7
Schenectady
4.8 48
11.9 57
19.4
140
47.6
294
Seneca
0.0
22.4 4
6.9 12
20.7
50.0 58
Sullivan
10.5
32.3
38.8
152
Tioga 9
22.0
26.8 41
Warren
7.2
19.0 39
25.5 69
45.1
153
Wyoming
16.7
18.8 15
31.3
33.3
Yates
32.6
15.2
10.9
41.3 46

5. How are Teens Different?
Brain Development
More impulsive behavior, less ability to focus on consequences of behavior.
Receptive to intervention and highly capable of change.
Teens (left) rely more on the amygdala,
while adults (right) rely more on the frontal cortex.
1. Issue Brief #3: Less Guilty by Reason of Adolescence , MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice. Retrieved from:
2. What Makes Delinquent Youths ‘Go Right’? Juvenile Justice: New Models for Reform (2005). John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, 16. Retrieved from:
3. Deborah Yurgelon-Todd, 2000

6. Who is arrested and charged as an adult in NY?
16-17 year olds
45,692 in 2010
27,775 from NYC
17,917 outside of NYC
Statewide, 75% are misdemeanors
In Monroe county, 73.5% are misdemeanors
13-15 year olds in 2011
555 from NYC
168 outside of NYC
NYC % robbery,
2% homicide
Outside NYC 77% robbery,
1% homicide
1. Criminal Justice Case Processing of Year Olds (January 4, 2013). Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) OJRP
2. Juvenile Justice Annual Update for 2011 (May 15, 2012). New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Office of Justice Research and Performance

7. Disproportionality in Arrests and Incarceration Rates
32% of NY state’s total population is Black or Latino.
70% of youth arrested in NYS in 2010 were Black or Latino.
80% of youth sentenced to incarceration in 2010 were Black or Latino.
1. U.S. Census Bureau (2010). Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristic of New York. Retrieved from::
2. Criminal Justice Case Processing of Year Olds (January 4, 2013). Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) OJRP

8. How many NY youth are in adult jails and prisons?
7,391 youth under age 18 admitted to NY county jails (excluding NYC) in 2009.
3,570 youth under age 18 admitted to NYC jails in 2008 – add Advancing a Fair age.
On any given day there are on average year olds in New York City jails
Adult Prison
On January 1, 2010 there were year olds in upstate adult prisons.
1. Local Correctional Facilities in New York State-2009 County Admissions by Age When Admitted via Advancing a fair and just age of criminal responsibility for youth in New York State (January 2011). NYS Commission of Correction. Prepared by the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board
2. Under Custody Report: Profile of Inmate Population Under Custody on 1/1/2010 via Advancing a fair and just age of criminal responsibility for youth in New York State (January 2011). NYS Department of Correction Services. Prepared by the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board.

9. Public Safety National New York State
Nationally, youth transferred to the adult system are 33.7% more likely to be re-arrested for a violent crime than youth kept in the juvenile system.
70% of 16- and 17-year olds arrested in NY state in 2006 and sentenced to jail were reconvicted within 5 years.
New York State
1. The Fourth Wave: Juvenile Justice Reforms for the Twenty-First Century. National Campaign to Reform State Juvenile Justice Systems, 20. Retrieved from:
2. Criminal Justice Case Processing of Year Olds (January 4, 2013). Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) OJRP
3. Community Summit on Race, Race and Criminal/Juvenile Justice Team, Facing Race Embracing Equity: Rochester’s racial equity initiative (May 30, 2013)

10. Public Safety
A study compared NY youth in the adult system to NJ youth who are charged in the juvenile system.
The youth in NY’s adult system were 85% more likely to be re-arrested for a violent crime and 44% more likely to be re-arrested for a felony property crime.
Robbery
Juvenile Court
Criminal Court
Percent Re-arrested
67.0%
75.9%
Percent Re-incarcerated
40.9%
56.2%
Time to First Re-arrest
553.0 days
456.5 days
Re-arrest Rate
1.67
2.85
1. Raising the Juvenile Justice Jurisdictional Age: Treating Kids as Kids in New York State’s Justice System (March 2012). The Schyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy. Retrieved from:

11. Why should we treat youth as youth and not adults?
Youth Safety
Higher rates of sexual abuse for youth in adult system.
50% more likely to report being attacked with a weapon than youth in juvenile system.
8 times more likely to commit suicide than youth in juvenile system.
Increased risk of being placed in solitary confinement.
Public Safety
Youth charged in adult system have higher rates of re-arrest.
Healthy Communities
Criminal records resulting from adult prosecution create life-long barriers - making it difficult to be fully active citizens.
Keep Youth Out of Adult Prisons. National Juvenile Justice Network. Retrieved from:

12. Consequences of criminal record
Barriers to Employment
Barriers to Citizenship/Risk of deportation
Loss of Housing, for themselves & their families
Limited Voting Rights
Denied College Admission & Educational Loans
How exactly are we helping?
Can’t live in public housing
Can’t get financial aid
Can’t get job

13. The Financial Cost of Change
Benefit
A North Carolina cost benefit analysis projected a $52.3 million benefit per year: $70.9 million/year cost and $123.1 million in reoccurring benefits over the long term.
An analysis of Connecticut’s recent success in raising the age to 18 found cost savings and increased public safety.2
Over 80% of arrests in NY in 2010 were dismissed or resulted in a non-criminal violation or infraction - bringing into question the costly use of court resources and the need to right size our criminal justice system and invest in youth and communities.
Henrichson, C. and Levshin, V (2011). Cost-Benefit Analysis of Raising the Age of Juvenile Jurisdiction in North Carolina. Vera Institute of Justice.
Juvenile Justice Reform in Connecticut: How Collaboration and Commitment Have Improved Public Safety and Outcomes for Youth. Justice Policy Institute.

14. Sources
Community Summit on Race, Race and Criminal/Juvenile Justice Team, Facing Race Embracing Equity: Rochester’s racial equity initiative (May 30, 2013)
Criminal Justice Case Processing of Year Olds (January 4, 2013). Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) OJRP
Henrichson, C. and Levshin, V (2011). Cost-Benefit Analysis of Raising the Age of Juvenile Jurisdiction in North Carolina. Vera Institute of Justice.
Issue Brief #3: Less Guilty by Reason of Adolescence, MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice. Retrieved from:
Juvenile Justice Annual Update for 2011 (May 15, 2012). New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Office of Justice Research and Performance
Juvenile Justice Reform in Connecticut: How Collaboration and Commitment Have Improved Public Safety and Outcomes for Youth. Justice Policy Institute.
Keep Youth Out of Adult Prisons. National Juvenile Justice Network. Retrieved from:
Local Correctional Facilities in New York State-2009 County Admissions by Age When Admitted via Advancing a fair and just age of criminal responsibility for youth in New York State (January 2011). NYS Commission of Correction. Prepared by the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board
Raising the Juvenile Justice Jurisdictional Age: Treating Kids as Kids in New York State’s Justice System (March 2012). The Schyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy. Retrieved from:
State Trends: Legislative Victories from 2005 to 2010 Removing Youth from the Adult Criminal Justice Syst. Campaign for Youth Justice.
The Fourth Wave: Juvenile Justice Reforms for the Twenty-First Century. National Campaign to Reform State Juvenile Justice Systems, 20. Retrieved from:
U.S. Census Bureau (2010). Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristic of New York. Retrieved from::
Under Custody Report: Profile of Inmate Population Under Custody on 1/1/2010 via Advancing a fair and just age of criminal responsibility for youth in New York State (January 2011). NYS Department of Correction Services. Prepared by the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board.
What Makes Delinquent Youths ‘Go Right’? Juvenile Justice: New Models for Reform (2005). John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, 16. Retrieved from:

15. Get Involved Right Now
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Together we WILL
dismantle the cradle to prison pipeline!
For more information, contact Beth Powers: or