Tuesday,

April 28, 2015

Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of the State of New York
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Honorable Dean Skelos
Senate Majority Leader
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Honorable Carl Heastie
Assembly Speaker
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo, Majority Leader Skelos and Speaker Heastie:

As a coalition of national and local advocates, youth, parents, law enforcement and
legal representative groups, faith leaders, and unions, we write to you out of great
concern for New Yorks justice system. Too many young people continue to be
prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system and end up trapped in a cycle of poverty
and crime that is detrimental to youth and our communities.

New York is one of only two states where 16 and 17-year olds are automatically
prosecuted in adult courts and serve time in adult jails and prison. This system does
not meet our public safety needs.

The lack of age-appropriate interventions for 16- and 17-year olds in the adult system, as
well as the increased exposure to violence and abuse, makes it difficult and near impossible
for adolescents to reform and become successful, productive, and contributing members of
their communities.

In 2013, nearly 34,000 16- and 17-year olds were arrested and faced prosecution in
the adult system the vast majority for non-violent crimes. Studies show that youth
who are prosecuted and incarcerated in the adult system go on to re-offend at rates much
higher than their peers who receive age-appropriate consequences in the juvenile system.

Adult prisons are often dangerous, violent places that do not focus on rehabilitation
and are not designed to meet the needs of children. Young people confined in adult
facilities are much more likely to face traumatic physical and sexual violence than those in
juvenile facilities. They are also exposed to older, more hardened criminal elements that
train and socialize them into a long-term life of crime.


Higher recidivism rates create higher costs for the justice system and our
communities as a whole. When a young person re-offends, taxpayers spend more on law
enforcement and incarceration and miss the economic contribution of someone who is
engaged in law-abiding work.

Raising the age is what is best for public safety and our communities, it is about
being both smart on crime and tough on crime. It is an approach that numerous law
enforcement officials and experts from both sides of the aisle have endorsed. By creating a
path to more positive outcomes for more children, raising the age would lead to crime
reductions and help foster safer, more livable streets throughout the state.

Last month, you dedicated $135 million of the New York State budget towards raising the
age and developing age-appropriate justice solutions for 16 and 17-year-olds. We thank
you for this commitment and we urge you to pass legislation implementing the necessary
reforms this year.

Sincerely,

Raise the Age New York

Lead group members:
Center for Community Alternatives
Citizens Committee for Children of New York
Correctional Association of New York
Families Together in NYS
Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies
NAACP
Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy
The Childrens Agenda
The Childrens Defense Fund New York
The Fund for Modern Courts
Westchester Childrens Association
Youth Represent

Additional supporters to date:
1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
32BJ SEIU
Alternatives for Battered Women
American Friends Service Committee (NY)
Amnesty International
Arab American Association of NY
Association for Community Living, Inc.
Association to Benefit Children
Harry Belafonte
Bronx Christian Fellowship Church
Bronx Clergy Roundtable
Brooklyn Community Services
Brooklyn Defender Services

Campaign to End the New Jim Crow

Casa Rochester/Monroe County, Inc.
Center for Childrens Initiatives
Center for Popular Democracy
Child Welfare Organizing Project
Childrens Village
Citizens Action of New York
City of Glen Cove Youth Bureau
Coalition for Asian American Children and Families
Coalition for Education Justice
Coalition for Hispanic Children and Families
Coalition for the Homeless
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists
Commission on the Publics Health System
Communities United for Police Reform
Community Connections for Youth
Community Service Society
Community Voices for Youth and Families
Crossway Church
Dignity in Schools Campaign New York
Equal Justice Initiative
Faith in New York
Families On The Move of NYC, Inc.
First Corinthian Baptist Church
Forestdale Inc.
Good Shepherd Services
Graham Windham
Harlem Childrens Zone
Herstory
Human Services Council
Jewish Child Care Association
Latino Justice PRLDEF
Lawyers for Children
Leake and Watts Services, Inc.
Legal Action Center
Legal Aid Society
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House
Long Island Progressive Coalition
Lutheran Family Health Centers
Make the Road New York
Mental Health Association in New York State, Inc.
Montefiore School Health Program
National Association of Social Workers New York State
National Economic and Social Rights Initiative
Neighborhood Family Services Coalition
New York American Academy of Pediatrics, District II
New York Association of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers, Inc.
New York Civil Liberties Union
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest

New York Society for Ethical Culture

New York State Coalition for School-Based Health Centers
New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
New York Theological Seminary
NYC Jails Action Coalition
Partnership for After School Education (PASE)
Partnership for the Public Good
Partners in Restorative Initiatives
Pumphouse Projects
Save the Kids
SCO Family of Services
Staten Island Council on Child Abuse and Neglect
S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth Inc.
Teachers Unite
The Black Institute
The Brotherhood/Sister Sol
The Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES)
The Childrens Aid Society
The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies, Inc.
The Fortune Society
The Legal Aid Society
The New York Foundling
The Osborne Association
The Partnership For Public Good
The Resolution Plan
Tremont United Methodist Church
United Neighborhood Houses
Unique People Services
Uniting Disabled Individuals, Inc
Urban Health Plan, Inc.
Urban Justice Center
Urban Youth Collaborative
VOCAL-NY
Pastor Mike Walrond
William F. Ryan Community Health Network