To: Governor Andrew Cuomo
Stop prosecuting children as adults in New York State!
New York is one of two states that still prosecutes all children over the age of sixteen as adults, no matter what the crime. Sixteen year olds are still children and should be treated as such.
Youth who are incarcerated with adults are likely to suffer physical and emotional abuse while in prison, and are more likely to continue to commit crimes when they are released. Given proper alternatives, youth can learn to make more responsible choices and be contributing members of society. Putting youth in adult jail doesn’t help make our society safer, it creates more adult criminals.
Please change New York State laws so that no child will be prosecuted as an adult and no child will be placed in an adult prison or jail. Stop doing this to our children.
Youth who are incarcerated with adults are likely to suffer physical and emotional abuse while in prison, and are more likely to continue to commit crimes when they are released. Given proper alternatives, youth can learn to make more responsible choices and be contributing members of society. Putting youth in adult jail doesn’t help make our society safer, it creates more adult criminals.
Please change New York State laws so that no child will be prosecuted as an adult and no child will be placed in an adult prison or jail. Stop doing this to our children.
Why is this important?
October is Juvenile Justice Awareness Month. Because we are making a documentary about incarcerated youth, we've learned A LOT about whats going on in the system. There is so much that needs to change, and raising the age so that minors aren't prosecuted as adults is one of the easiest ways Governor Cuomo can make a difference. To learn more about our documentary, please visit www.likeanyotherkid.com