Raise The Age

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On April 10, 2017, New York State raised the age of criminal responsibility to 18 years of age. This move ensured that young people in New York who commit non-violent crimes receive the intervention and evidence-based treatment that they need. 

On October 1, 2019, the Raise the Age New York law fully rolled out, Statewide, ending New York's practice of automatically charging all 16 yr olds and 17 yr olds as adults for any offense. 

On October 16 2003 (16 years and 15 days) before raise the age became a hot topic, GRAAFICS decided to rolled up it's sleeves and get down into the trenches to both advocate and offer intervention. Criminal responsibility below the age of 18 primarily targeted our communities, directly effected our clients and destroyed many families. Now that we (the unified body of agencies and advocates) have collectively accomplished this mission, the fight doesn't stop. 

GRAAFICS was one of the first leaders in the fight to raise New York States age of criminal responsibility to 18. Now that legislation has passed, our priorities @GRAAFICS have shifted to achieving youth justice throughout the nation. We  offer our expertise to the nation by providing internal and external programs and services to agencies interested in addressing their most complex RTA client and staff needs.