(The Center Square) — New York state’s ‘raise the age’ law has packed the state’s understaffed juvenile facilities with older, more violent criminals, according to a scathing new report by a watchdog group.
The report by New York City’s Department of Investigation highlighted what it described as a concerning pattern of detainee misconduct, criminal activity and lack of staff control at the Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx and Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brooklyn, which are now housing an older population facing more serious and violent charges.
DOI investigators said in the report that existing disciplinary measures by the Administration for Children’s Services, which operates the facilities, are “not enough” to prevent violence among detainees or keep out drugs and other contraband.
“This ineffectiveness is demonstrated by the high levels of youth-on-youth and youth-on-staff violence, security breaches, and recovery of contraband including weapons and cell phones,” the report’s authors wrote in the 75-pager report. “ACS staff are not properly trained or prepared to respond to the incidents that regularly occur within the facilities.”