The barriers young people face with a criminal conviction perpetuate economic and racial injustices that undermine their futures and reduce the vitality of our neighborhoods. Criminal convictions limit access to certain educational and employment opportunities, and can result in substantially less lifetime earnings and increase the likelihood of housing instability and rearrest. Given the enormous racial disparity in arrests, prosecution, and incarceration, these consequences are particularly devastating for Black, Latinx, and other communities of color.

New York’s current law allows judges to grant Youthful Offender ('YO") status, which seals cases so they will not appear on a background check. YO status also allows judges to sentence young people to age appropriate, non-jail sentences. However, this law is limited in three critical ways:

• Protections are not available for young people older than 18
• The current law does not reflect the consensus among researchers that young people continue to mature and develop well into their mid-20s.
• Judges lack discretion to grant YO status for an individual more than once, even when doing so would benefit the young person and their community.

With the enactment of the Youth Justice and Opportunities Act, this legislation would expand the YO law in New York and offer more protections for the futures of young people age 25 and younger, enabling the opportunity to move forward in their lives without the barrier of a criminal conviction. The YJ&O would also reduce state and local spending on youth incarceration—money that should be invested in communities to alleviate poverty and homelessness, ensure quality education, and fund other needed resources. In turn, this bill would help stabilize communities, promote community vitality, and increase public safety for all