The State Fiscal Year 2017-18 Budget included legislation to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18 years of age.1 This newly enacted legislation includes statutory amendments that a) create a new Adolescent Offender (AO) classification; b) establish a new Youth Part in the Superior Court; and c) require misdemeanor cases, with the exception of Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL) misdemeanors, to be heard in Family Court. All statutory amendments pertaining to 16-year-olds take effect October 1, 2018, and for 17-year-olds are effective October 1, 2019.
Effective 9/11/2018, the DCJS has issued an informational document that lists all pertinent facts and procedures with regards to the "Raise the Age" law. The attached chart is a summary of how the new legislation will impact law enforcement officers when taking 16- and 17-year-old offenders into custody.
To view this summary, click here.
