Albany, NY – On Tuesday, March 7th, Legislators came to support a rally held by the Raise the Age NY Campaign in the Capitol Building. Raise the Age legislation has been in the making for nearly five years now by the efforts of Sen. Montgomery because approximately 28,000 16 and 17 year olds are tried as adults, disproportionately affecting youth of color. At the rally, Sen. Stewart-Cousins lamented the criminalizing of youth for petty charges and the unfortunate psychological damage they receive in adult prisons. She emphasized the need to resolve this problem rather than remedy it by calling for maximum involvement of family courts in the charges of young offenders in order to redirect them with help and supportive resources for their family.

Click here to read the Senator's statement on Raise The Age.