Jackie Gosdigian, Supervising Policy Counsel at Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS) testified before an Oversight Hearing on Youth Decarceration.

"Incarceration Does Not Lead to Public Safety

It is well known that incarceration, even short stays in detention, is extraordinarily harmful and does not achieve public safety. For example, youth released from incarceration experience high rates of recidivism, with longer stays in confinement raising these rates even higher. This is because incarceration causes substantial long-term harm, including decreasing a young person’s ability to succeed in education and employment. Incarceration reduces the likelihood of high school graduation and leads to poorer health in adulthood."

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"Black and Brown Youth Are Disproportionately Impacted by NYS’s Juvenile Legal and Family Policing Systems

Black and Brown communities bear the brunt of racist systems and policies. Youth from these communities often have contact with ACS and then are further traumatized by contact with the juvenile legal system. Findings released by the final Raise the Age Commission in 2020 found that in New York City nearly all youth prosecuted as adults in the youth parts in New York City’s criminal courts were Black and Latine."

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"Investments are Needed for Community Based Preventive Programming and Diversion Programs for Youth

The continuum of services in the juvenile legal system have largely been consolidated and are now operated entirely by ACS-from preventive services through placement and aftercare. Other city agencies, such as the Mayor’s Office on Criminal Justice (MOCJ) and the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), that fund anti-community violence programs, actually work with children and their communities to help young people succeed and avoid legal system involvement. However, these programs often have long wait lists and there is pressure on the programs to move youth through their programming to open up space for additional youth."

You can read the full testimony here.