Youth, Advocates, Service Providers and Elected Of icials Rally at the Capitol in Support of Critical Legislation Expanding Protections for Court-Involved Youth

Young people, service providers, youth justice advocates, elected officials, public defender organizations, civil rights organizations and others rallied at the New York State Capitol today to urge lawmakers to prioritize young adults and pass the Youth Justice and Opportunities Act – S.3426 (Myrie) / A.4238 (O’Donnell) – which would provide a developmentally appropriate response to young New Yorkers entangled in the criminal legal system.

The Youth Justice and Opportunities Act (YJ&O), sponsored by New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie and Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell, expands critical protections for adolescents and young adults who are arrested and prosecuted in New York.

For decades, New York’s Youthful Offender (YO) law has provided opportunities for youth under 19 to receive age appropriate sentences, including diversion and alternatives to incarceration, and have their cases sealed so that they can pursue education, employment, housing, and other opportunities.

YJ&O would update New York law to provide similar opportunities for emerging adults ages 19-25 by creating a new “Young Adult” status. Expanding protections to older youth is consistent with the scientific consensus that a young person’s decision making capabilities continue to develop into their mid-20s, and would make New York a national leader in youth justice.

“Young people should not be automatically subjected to adult prosecution, sentencing, and terms of imprisonment, as far too many continue to be – particularly youth of color,” said Rob DeLeon, Executive Vice President, The Fortune Society. “Treating young people as adults runs contrary to well-established findings about brain development, can impair their ability to evolve into thriving members of their families and communities, and as failed policies of the past have shown, it simply does not make us safer. Young people are our future. Instead of saddling them with the lifelong stigma of a criminal conviction which creates barriers to obtaining housing, employment, and education, we should invest in the community-based programs, opportunities, and supports that help young people achieve their potential. This would make us all better off.”