“Mission accomplished,” meet “We got them done.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul provided a baffling defense Tuesday for not tackling any major public safety issues — notably the state’s “Raise the Age” law — in her proposed $260 billion budget for next year.
“We have already dealt with many criminal justice reforms that others didn’t think we’d be able to accomplish, including people in this room,” Hochul told reporters.
“We did it, so I don’t need to revisit the same reforms. We got them done. So look at what’s been accomplished,” she further bragged.
The dismissively triumphant stance by Hochul stood in contrast to critics who’ve argued the Raise the Age law needs to be fixed or rolled back.
The law raised New York’s age of criminal responsibility to 18, barring 16- and 17-year-olds from initially being tried as adults for most non-felonies.
But since it was enacted in 2019 along with other criminal justice reforms, many prosecutors and police officials — including NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch — argued it’s to blame for rising violence both committed by and against youths.
“When Raise the Age was enacted, the original sponsors acknowledged that the law should be revisited and that adjustments might need to be considered at a future date,” Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly, president of District Attorneys Association of the State of New York, wrote in a statement blasting Hochul’s comments.
“In the nearly nine years that have passed since Raise the Age first became effected, we have seen limitations and shortcomings in the law, as well as inconsistencies in how the law is interpreted,” the statement said. “Good public policy dictates a thorough examination of Raise the Age and how the state is investing in youth services and crime prevention.”
The district attorneys association, which was instrumental in pushing last year’s reforms to the discovery laws, said it wants public hearings and a continued discourse with Hochul and the legislature “to re-examine Raise the Age with an eye towards meaningful changes.”
Many progressives, however, contend the real issue is $1 billion in unspent funds to support programs that keep youths out of trouble.
Advocates with The Coalition to Protect Raise the Age argued that the Empire State should not go back to the days when it was one of just two states that automatically tried 16- and 17-year-olds as adults.
“Raise the Age reflects what we know to be true: adolescents are children, and prosecuting and placing them in the adult criminal justice system does not work for young people or make communities safer,” the group said in a statement, which praised Hochul.
The governor had previously left the door open to tweak Raise the Age, as she had done for bail and evidence laws during past budgets.
Hochul on Tuesday did allude to inserting some surprise policy items during in the middle of budget talks, which are set to trudge on until at least the spending plan’s due date of April 1.
“I would not look at this as a final document,” she warned.
