“The Raise the Age NY campaign, a coalition of advocacy and civil rights groups, said 28,000 16- and 17-year-olds face being prosecuted as adults in the state every year, the vast majority for minor crimes, according to state government statistics.
“Under the new system, those cases will be dealt with in family court and new youth courts, and the teens will be be housed in juvenile detention, not adult prison or jail. The changes will take effect over several years.”