Thursday, September 11, 2008
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Governor announces task force on transforming New York’s juvenile justice system
ALBANY - Governor David Paterson Wednesday announced the creation of the Task Force on Transforming Juvenile Justice to examine ways to improve New York’s juvenile justice system. The Task Force will develop and design a strategic blueprint for transforming the system, including examining alternatives to institutional placement, ways to assist children’s re-entry into the community, and redefining the conditions of confinement for juveniles across the State.
The Task Force will also study ways to improve treatment for juveniles in the areas of mental health and substance abuse, and will address the disproportionate number of minority youth in the system. New York’s juvenile justice system currently serves nearly 1,900 children at an approximate annual cost of up to $200,000 per child. More than three-quarters of those children are African-American or Latino.
“It is imperative that our state seek alternatives to a costly system that is not serving New York’s children, families and communities well,” said the Governor. “With 80 percent of the children in New York’s custody released and rearrested within three years, reform of New York’s juvenile justice system will not only provide those children with necessary services for success, but will translate into safer communities across the State.”