QUESTION
What actions are being taken to reduce felony arrests and youth detention in NYC?
2:03:28
·
162 sec
The New York City Law Department is discussing actions with the probation department to reduce felony arrests and youth detention facilities.
- Meetings are being held with the probation department and across agencies to discuss policy changes.
- Encouragement is given to restore programs for at-risk young adults.
- Focus is on evaluating youth crimes, particularly the increase in gun crimes.
- Collaboration is emphasized between agencies to address the issue collectively.
Lincoln Restler
2:03:28
Are you considering any actions or policy changes that might reduce the percentage increase in felony arrests that might reduce the percentage of kids that are getting sent to jail?
Judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix
2:03:39
Well, what we what we also have been doing and and we've we've started a we we had a meeting and continue to meet with the probation department, and we're working across agencies to have that kind of discussion.
2:03:57
For us and and, also, you've
Lincoln Restler
2:03:58
been encouraging the probation department to restore the programs that they've eliminated that provide care and services to young adults that are at risk.
Judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix
2:04:06
We're we're we're we're having discussions with them about about those things and how we can collectively work together and are you advocating
Lincoln Restler
2:04:14
for those restorations with the Department of Probation?
2:04:16
Because the dev diversion rates in the PMMR have declined.
2:04:19
For the number of youth that are being served?
Judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix
2:04:23
We are not we haven't been advocating with them.
2:04:26
We've been we've been talking to them about what we can do.
2:04:31
And our our our role is not to tell them what they can do with this, but our role really and working with them, well, I I no.
2:04:42
That's a misstatement.
2:04:44
And working with them in in in this area.
2:04:47
We we have we have looked at what we see here with youth.
2:04:53
And And if you evaluate it, you have to realize that the the the crimes that we have been seeing now are what we have been seeing in the past.
2:05:03
And so there has to be a different evaluation of what we are seeing here.
2:05:08
Like, gun gun crimes had gone up significantly.
2:05:15
We at 1 at 1 or or or or I was talking to a staff who was saying, at some point, you saw 22 youth in a year with guns.
2:05:25
At one point, we were like at 39.
2:05:28
You saw it it is something that we're hap we have to look at across the board, and we're we're happy that we've been able to get the agencies to sit down together to start talking about how what we can do collectively.
Lincoln Restler
2:05:41
I I really do appreciate that.
2:05:42
I I would say that when I work with the Brooklyn district attorney's office, We're often talking about investments and programs that need to be made for ATI's, ATDs, diversion programs that can keep our young that can keep people out of our criminal justice system.
2:05:55
And so I do feel like it is potentially your role.
2:05:59
You have a Department of Probation that's eliminated the next steps program.
2:06:02
Is dramatically defunded the archers program.
2:06:04
These are evidence based effective programs that keep our young people engaged and out of detention facilities.