A society must be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable—and most valuable—members: its children. The State of America’s Children 2020 makes it abundantly clear that by this measure, America is falling shamefully short.
Earlier this school year, 6-year-old Kaia was handcuffed, arrested, and taken to a juvenile detention center where she was charged with battery for having a tantrum in her first grade class. How Kaia was treated is appalling, and yet the criminalization of our children is all too common: A child is arrested every 39 seconds in America and about 76,000 children are placed in the adult criminal justice system annually.
Public comments on the proposed amendments to sections 100.6 and 100.75 of Title 7 NYCRR, concerning the reclassification of two existing adult correctional facilities to Adolescent Offender Facilities, pursuant to Raise the Age (Correction Law, section 70, et seq.).