Juvenile crime doubles, Adams blames Cuomo’s leniency legislation for backfired

New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently released his annual “Mayor’s Management Report,” which shows that while many major crimes in the city are declining, juvenile crime has doubled over the past four years. Adams blames legislation enacted during Governor Andrew Cuomo’s tenure, arguing that his lenient treatment of juveniles has been counterproductive.

During Cuomo’s tenure, New York State passed the “Raise the Age Law,” raising the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18 and allowing suspects under 21 to be placed in juvenile detention facilities rather than adult prisons. It also shifted the handling of 16- and 17-year-old defendants from adult courts to family courts or specialized judges with social service support. The bill subsequently received support from current Governor Kathy Hochul.

However, the latest mayoral management report indicates that the city will see 5,623 felony arrests of juveniles in fiscal year 2025, significantly higher than the 2,200 arrests in 2018, when the law took effect, and the 2,807 arrests in 2021. Meanwhile, crimes against juveniles will reach 5,177 this year, double the 2,259 arrests in 2021. Juvenile murder arrests will nearly quadruple from eight in 2017 to 30 in 2024.

The age law has been criticized, and recent city data shows that since its implementation, the number of felony arrests of juveniles has increased annually, with only a brief dip during the pandemic. Police also believe the law is one of the main reasons for the surge in juvenile crime, making background checks on juvenile offenders more difficult and leading to the release of some young people with violent backgrounds after arrest.

Adams stated that the city is reviewing the connection between the age law and juvenile crime. He emphasized that while the legislation was well-intentioned, it had the opposite effect. “The city invests heavily in after-school programs, summer youth employment, and internship programs. We don’t believe incarceration alone is the solution.”

However, overall crime trends citywide remain positive. The report shows that in fiscal year 2025, murders decreased by 6%, robberies decreased by 17%, aggravated assaults decreased by 9%, burglaries decreased by 5%, and both grand larcenies and auto thefts decreased by 10%. Shootings decreased by 14%, and August of this year saw the lowest number of shootings since the same period in 1993.