Billions of tax dollars are being poured into the implementation of Raise the Age law.
New York state has appropriated Nearly $2 billion dollars this Fiscal year to help counties abide by provisions of the “Raise the Age” law according to the state Comptroller’s office. RTA, as the law is known, recently changed the age of criminal responsibility as an adult from 16- to 18-years-old. As a result, most 16- and 17-year-old offenders are now adjudicated through family court, rather than the adult criminal justice system, and can no longer be detained in county jails with adults or in state prisons. Counties are reimbursed by the state for all costs associated with the law and Comptroller Thomas DiNaplli said “Our analysis shows a recent uptick in spending, as implementation progresses.”