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AGENCY TESTIMONY
Juvenile justice system and education for detained youth
3:19:15
ยท
4 min
Commissioner Dannhauser discusses improvements and challenges in the juvenile justice system, focusing on education and support for detained youth.
- 50 students in secured detention graduated with high school diplomas, GEDs, or completed middle school in 2023-2024
- Expansion of academic opportunities including tutoring, exam preparation, and college courses
- Improved student engagement, attendance, and graduation rates in detention facilities
- Reduction in youth violence despite increased census
- Challenges of serving older youth charged with more serious crimes
- Capacity issues in secured detention, with plans for expansion and facility improvements
- Introduction of community-based programs like ACES to engage high-risk youth
Jess Dannhauser
3:19:15
As I turn to juvenile justice, just want to thank you Chair Stephens, Council Member Joseph, and Council Member Nurse and your staff for coming to Crossroads yesterday and engaging with young people so fully.
3:19:29
We've been seeing similar education success in our juvenile justice programs.
3:19:33
In the twenty twenty three-twenty twenty four school year, 50 students in secured attention graduated with high school diplomas, GEDs, or completed middle school.
3:19:41
12 additional youth have already attained either a Regents diploma or GED in this academic year.
3:19:46
Many of these youth are now enrolled at either Hostos or Borough of Manhattan Community College completing live college courses while in secured detention facilities and earning transferable college credits.
3:19:57
These education achievements are the result of a close collaboration between ACS, New York City Public Schools, and other partners to maximize school attendance, engagement, and achievement.
3:20:07
During the twenty twenty four-twenty five school year, ACS continued to expand its academic opportunities including tutoring, assistance preparing students for regions, and high school equivalency exam, and offering credit bearing college courses.
3:20:20
Together with the school liaisons in our detention facilities, the school based team is responsible for encouraging young people to attend school and engage in other educational services.
3:20:30
This has significantly improved student engagement, student attendance, exam completion, and graduation rates at both facilities.
3:20:37
ACS continues to fund as well as to leverage funding received from the Young Men's Initiative to provide daily tutoring services to students and secure attention, to improve their engagement in school literacy, as well as students' attitudes towards learning.
3:20:50
Our workforce partners, Bard Prison Initiative that you saw yesterday, and the Children's Village provide on-site tutoring to youth at Crossroads and Horizon.
3:20:59
Bard and Children's Village tutors collaborate closely with Passage's Academy administrators and educators to identify youth in areas where they may need additional supports.
3:21:08
While serving older youth charged with more serious crimes certainly poses additional challenges, as noted by Nunez monitor experts in their most recent report, ACS has achieved compelling reductions in the frequency of youth violence, continues to develop and implement strategies to improve overall security.
3:21:24
Specifically, despite the increased census, violence is down, supportive programming has significantly increased, restorative work with youth is making a difference, and we are seeing improved educational outcomes for youth in detention, including more high school graduations, GED attainment, and college participation.
3:21:42
On 03/06/2025, '1 hundred and '30 '7 youth at Horizon and 136 youth at Crossroads.
3:21:49
Today it's a total of 275 young people.
3:21:52
Secured attention currently holds a youth population that is nearly six times what it was before raise the age as ACS has absorbed this population of youth.
3:22:01
Charged with committing offenses at 16, 17 years old who would otherwise have been detained on Rikers Island and youth can remain with us until age 21.
3:22:09
As a result, the youth in secured detention are on average older, face more serious charges and experience longer lengths of stay than before raised the age, with ninety nine percent of the young people in secured detention facing charges in the adult system.
3:22:22
We're also taking important steps to be able to address capacity issues in secured detention.
3:22:26
OCFS has issued a waiver approving our capacity to three ten youth.
3:22:31
We're also working with DDC to build an annex at Horizon which would not only create additional capacity but would provide the youth in our care with a state of the art facility with a commercial kitchen, new dining halls, healthcare suites, staff lounge, more educational vocational classrooms, and three story outdoor recreation platform.
3:22:48
In addition to meeting the needs of justice involved youth in detention, we are focused on meeting their needs in the community so that they never come to detention.
3:22:56
This year we assume responsibility for MACH J for the Assertive Community Engagement and Success, ACES, run by CASES, which serves some of the highest high risk youth aged 16 to 24 in Harlem and the South Bronx by seeking to relentlessly engage them in a three to four year behavioral change and skill development program.
3:23:14
Given the success of programs like College Choice and Fair Futures, as part of the state of the city, Mayor Adams announced the Youth Safety and Success Initiative.