New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services

Last October, the State of New York began treating most 16-year-olds as juveniles in the eyes of the criminal justice system. In New York City, that change appears to have coincided with a steep drop in felony arrests, according to previously unpublished state data reviewed by The Imprint.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Raise the Age (RTA) reform law was intended to overhaul the justice system for 16- and 17-year-olds charged with crimes — mandating a new, rehabilitation-focused network of detention facilities, court rooms and punishments for teens who are arrested.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s task force monitoring a major statewide juvenile justice reform was supposed to hand in its first report to the leaders of the state’s legislature 13 days ago, but it appears they missed the deadline.

Since the implementation of New York’s Raise the Age (RTA) law in October, not much has changed for upstate Jefferson County. While 16-year-olds who would have previously been charged in adult court are now being tried as juvenile delinquents, where they face lesser sentences, there have not been many of them.