Final week, 14-year-old Angel Mendoza was fatally stabbed in a Bronx playground by a gaggle of teenagers. His 15-year-old good friend Yasmin discovered him dying. Within 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 Occasions Sq., hitting vacationers.
Sadly, these usually are not anomalies. By final yr, the variety of youths arrested with weapons had risen 136% since New York State’s “Increase the Age” laws started to take impact in 2018. And tragically, the variety of juvenile taking pictures victims grew 81%. Certainly, the proportion of all our metropolis’s taking pictures victims who’re kids has roughly doubled since 2018.
Why?
As a result of the prison justice course of beneath RTA permits too many violent teenagers to cycle by the system, unchallenged, again to playgrounds and reckless shoot-outs with few, if any, repercussions. The regulation considerably elevated the speed at which prison instances for youngsters are diverted to Household Courtroom, and in so doing, considerably decreased the probability of significant accountability for even critical crimes.
Sadly, when children commit crimes, the victims are sometimes different children. This implies extra younger lives minimize quick. And it incentivizes adults to place weapons within the palms of youthful gang members who danger fewer penalties.
I’ve little question that “Increase the Age” was well-intentioned; however the tragic unintended penalties hurt the very kids our lawmakers search to assist. They have to amend it.
Every single day brings new proof that RTA is failing its goal of diverting susceptible youths from their prison trajectory. Underneath RTA, juvenile gun arrests have reached a quarter-century peak, with 486 arrests final yr. Younger felony assault victims additionally hit an 18-year peak of two,451. And juvenile homicide arrests have almost quadrupled, from eight in 2017 to 30 in 2024.
All this whereas 2025 has damaged data for the bottom variety of shootings and taking pictures victims within the first half of the yr. Our metropolis’s security wins usually are not extending to our youngsters—and that’s as unconscionable as it’s preventable.
Nor has RTA achieved its acknowledged objective 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 variety of juvenile Black and Hispanic victims skyrocketed to 114 (58% rise); white victims decreased…to zero.
That’s as a result of, reasonably than really specializing in the outcomes of every child, RTA created a convoluted chutes-and-ladders of juvenile justice – wherein authority figures function blind. Youths now shuttle from arrest by prison court docket, household court docket, probation, and detention with none grownup in these companies getting a full view of their journey – not to mention whether or not a baby is definitely reforming his or her habits.
RTA faraway from susceptible teen offenders the one factor they wanted most: grownup oversight.
As a substitute, they cycle pinball-style by household court docket and different avenues of diversion and return instantly to terrorizing youthful children. Concurrently, social media and drill rap have grown exponentially since RTA handed. This implies youths now at all times monitor one another, promoting the place they’re, what violence they’ve dedicated, and the way the courts freed them but once more.
When a 15-year-old arrested for theft has his case eliminated to household court docket and finally dismissed, his classmates all know he’s instantly again at school with no penalties. However the prosecutors assigned his case are blocked from realizing the way 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.
Worst of all, when the identical teen is arrested for a gunpoint theft subsequent month, the decide he stands earlier than gained’t be allowed to find out about his earlier instances. Nor will prosecutors or cops. However the younger offender will likely be bragging about it on-line.
RTA guidelines make it very tough to responsibly maintain harmful youths within the prison system. In response to latest New York State court docket information, amongst 16- and 17-year-old offenders, round 83% of felonies and 75% of violent felonies now roll gently over to household court docket, the place there are restricted penalties.
This thwarts one of many system’s key capabilities of satisfying victims. As a substitute, the will 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 be taught mature judgment. They’re escalating to extra reckless violence – perpetuating feuds to boost their very own standing.
And attributable to social media, gang members know the place their rivals are with GPS-accuracy. Greater than half of juvenile shootings now occur outdoors of shooters’ house precincts.
Examine that to NYPD officers, who’re legally blocked from realizing the place violent teenagers are. Our cops can’t even entry whether or not an arrestee is in custody or out unfastened. How can we maintain children protected?
As a mom of 10- and 13-year-old boys and the Police Commissioner of the Metropolis of New York, I’m sure that we should put the precise lives and security of our youngsters above our good intentions. New York legislators should return grownup authority and oversight to juvenile justice earlier than extra children get killed.
