‘Raise the Age’ is killing New York kids – Latest News
Last week, 14-year-old Angel Mendoza was fatally stabbed in a Bronx playground by a group of teenagers. His 15-year-old pal Yasmin discovered him dying. In the days since, a 13-year-old was stabbed by a 14-year-old in Queens, and a 17-year-old shot at a rival teen in Times Square, hitting vacationers.
Unfortunately, these are usually not anomalies. By final yr, the quantity of youths arrested with weapons had risen 136% since New York State’s “Raise the Age” laws started to take impact in 2018. And tragically, the quantity of juvenile taking pictures victims grew 81%. Indeed, the proportion of all our metropolis’s taking pictures victims who’re youngsters has roughly doubled since 2018.
Why?
Angel Mendoza, 14, was fatally stabbed in a Bronx playground by a group of teenagers final week. In the days since, a 13-year-old was fatally stabbed by a 14-year-old in Queens, and a 17-year-old shot at a rival teen in Times Square. Brigitte Stelzer
Because the prison justice course of below RTA permits too many violent teenagers to cycle by the system, unchallenged, back to playgrounds and reckless shoot-outs with few, if any, repercussions. The law considerably elevated the charge at which prison instances for youngsters are diverted to Family Court, and in so doing, considerably decreased the probability of significant accountability for even severe crimes.
Sadly, when kids commit crimes, the victims are sometimes different kids. This means more younger lives cut short. And it incentivizes adults to put weapons in the arms of youthful gang members who risk fewer penalties.
I’ve no doubt that “Raise the Age” was well-intentioned; however the tragic unintended penalties hurt the very youngsters our lawmakers search to help. They should amend it.
Every day brings new proof that RTA is failing its goal of diverting susceptible youths from their prison trajectory. Under RTA, juvenile gun arrests have reached a quarter-century peak, with 486 arrests final yr. Young felony assault victims additionally hit an 18-year peak of 2,451. And juvenile homicide arrests have almost quadrupled, from eight in 2017 to 30 in 2024.
NYC mayor Eric Adams and NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch (pictured) introduced the growth of the Q Team, a high quality of life division of the NYPD, into Queens at a press convention in the Astoria Houses on Aug. 11, 2025. Stephen Yang for the New York Post
All this whereas 2025 has damaged information for the lowest quantity of shootings and taking pictures victims in the first half of the yr. Our metropolis’s security wins are usually not extending to our kids—and that is as unconscionable because it is preventable.
Nor has RTA achieved its said purpose of ameliorating racial disparity. In 2017, 72 Black and Hispanic youths have been shot – in comparison with simply three white victims. By final yr, the quantity of juvenile Black and Hispanic victims skyrocketed to 114 (58% rise); white victims decreased…to zero.
That’s as a result of, relatively than really specializing in the outcomes of every child, RTA created a convoluted chutes-and-ladders of juvenile justice – during which authority figures operate blind. Youths now shuttle from arrest by prison courtroom, household courtroom, probation, and detention with none grownup in these companies getting a full view of their journey – not to mention whether or not a youngster is really reforming his or her conduct.
RTA faraway from susceptible teen offenders the one factor they needed most: grownup oversight.
Instead, they cycle pinball-style by household courtroom and different avenues of diversion and return instantly to terrorizing youthful kids. Simultaneously, social media and drill rap have grown exponentially since RTA handed. This means youths now at all times monitor one another, promoting the place they’re, what violence they’ve dedicated, and how the courts freed them but again.
When a 15-year-old arrested for theft has his case eliminated to household courtroom and in the end dismissed, his classmates all know he’s instantly back in class with no penalties. But the prosecutors assigned his case are blocked from understanding how it resolved. Our officers who arrested and charged him are additionally prohibited from discovering out what occurred. And tragically, even victims can’t discover out.
Jayden Clarke, 17, seen handcuffed at the Manhattan Criminal Court on Aug. 10, 2025, forward of his arraignment for allegedly taking pictures three people in Times Square. Michael Nagle
Worst of all, when the similar teen is arrested for a gunpoint theft subsequent month, the choose he stands earlier than received’t be allowed to learn about his earlier instances. Nor will prosecutors or cops. But the younger offender might be bragging about it online.
RTA guidelines make it very tough to responsibly keep harmful youths in the prison system. According to current New York State courtroom knowledge, amongst 16- and 17-year-old offenders, round 83% of felonies and 75% of violent felonies now roll gently over to household courtroom, the place there are restricted penalties.
This thwarts one of the system’s key features of satisfying victims. Instead, the need for redress too usually spills over into gang retribution.
And with no precise repercussions or grownup authority, younger offenders aren’t utilizing repeated forgiveness for his or her crimes to study mature judgment. They’re escalating to more reckless violence – perpetuating feuds to boost their own standing.
And as a consequence of social media, gang members know the place their rivals are with GPS-accuracy. More than half of juvenile shootings now occur outdoors of shooters’ home precincts.
Compare that to NYPD officers, who’re legally blocked from understanding the place violent teenagers are. Our cops can not even entry whether or not an arrestee is in custody or out free. How can we keep kids protected?
As a mom of 10- and 13-year-old boys and the Police Commissioner of the City of New York, I’m sure that we should put the precise lives and security of our kids above our good intentions. New York legislators should return grownup authority and oversight to juvenile justice earlier than more kids get killed.
