(The Center Square) — New York City law enforcement officials are urging lawmakers to update a state law that increased the age of criminal liability from 16 to 18, arguing it has contributed to a rise in youth gun violence.
Speaking to reporters at a press briefing announcing murder and shooting indictments against members of two Bronx street gangs, top law enforcement officials said the Raise the Age law, which ended the practice of charging 16- and 17-year-olds as adults for certain crimes, is leading to increased gun violence among young people.
“The mentality on the street is that nothing happens to those under 18 who possess or use a gun,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in remarks. “This is the biggest challenge for us right now, and it’s an unintended consequence of the Raise the Age law.”
Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain, also criticized the law and likened the issue of youth gun violence to the 1970s and early-1980s before the state toughened its drug possession laws for juveniles to crack down on street sales.
“Adults turned over drugs to young people because the crime was not severe and they used the young people as mules and they used them in a manner which allowed drugs to really move throughout our entire city,” Adams, a Democrat, said at Monday’s briefing. “Now we’re seeing it with guns.”
Adams said the Raise the Age has not only lowered the age of young people who are using guns to commit crimes, but the age of victims of gun violence.
“We saw here in the Bronx a 14 year-old young person took the life of a 16 year-old. The numbers don’t lie,” he said. “We can’t be so idealistic that we’re not realistic. Crime is real and these gang takedowns are involving younger and younger people.”
Democrats who control the state Legislature have continued to defend the Raise the Age law, saying it has helped reduce crime and keep young people out of the criminal justice system. They also point out that most other states don’t treat 16- and 17-year-olds as adults when accused of minor crimes.
Advocates argue that raising the age recognizes the still-forming consciousness of young offenders. They cite research that suggests the adolescent brain doesn’t fully mature until the mid-20s, possibly even later.
But NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters that the number of shooters and shooting victims under the age of 18 has doubled since the law went into effect in 2019. She echoed calls to reform the law.
“It’s unacceptable,” she said. “Until we fix the rules for prosecuting violent teens, outstanding police work, like what we see here today, cannot end this cycle of violence.”
