New York City has seen a whopping 133 percent increase in the number of children and teens arrested or named as suspects in shootings over the past nine years since former Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Raise the Age law into effect in 2017.
The Raise the Age law, pushed through by Cuomo and later backed by Governor Kathy Hochul, was sold as a progressive reform to keep young people out of adult prisons and give them a chance at rehabilitation.
The law, which raised the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18 and funneled many young offenders into family court rather than adult prosecution, has come under intense scrutiny as NYPD data reveals a disturbing rise in youth violence that has persisted even as overall crime numbers have shown modest improvement.
The policy has created a system where even the most serious crimes by minors are met with a slap on the wrist, emboldening these young predators.
According to the latest NYPD figures obtained by the New York Post, there have already been 56 child suspects identified in shooting incidents so far this year, compared to just 24 at the same point in 2017 when the law first took hold.
The numbers were even higher in previous years, reaching 57 in 2021 and 76 in 2022.
Even more alarming is the growing share of shooting incidents committed by people under 18, which climbed to 21 percent last year from 19 percent the year before.
Hellbound and Down 