Juveniles in New York

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/23/opinion/juveniles-in-new-york.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Moving Away From Treating 17-Year-Old Offenders as Adults” (news article, May 15):

Louisiana’s movement to get 17-year-olds out of the adult criminal justice system is good news. New York persists in treating 16-year-olds as adults, even for minor charges. Only North Carolina joins New York State in setting adult court jurisdiction at 16, though it’s likely to act on reform next January.

New York’s law hurts young people. They are 36 times more likely to commit suicide in adult prisons than youths held in juvenile facilities. It increases crime.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, keeping youths in the juvenile justice system reduces reoffending by more than a third. The young age of adulthood feeds serial incarceration, the most tragic waste of money known to man.

When the Raise the Age bill faced challenges in Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards stood shoulder to shoulder with youths on the State Capitol steps.

In the waning days of New York’s session, hope for change remains. That hope rests upon strong stands that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and legislative leaders need to take for this overdue reform.

DONALD K. ROSS

New York

The writer is coordinator of the National Campaign to Reform State Juvenile Justice Systems.