Senate Democrats rallied this morning around Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to reform the state’s broken juvenile justice system, calling the current structure something “designed to satisfy local interests over the interests of children and the state.”
“New Yorkers can’t afford to keep paying for an inefficient government that delivers little in return,” said Senate Minority Leader John Sampson. “The sweeping reform and redesign of the juvenile justice system proposed by Governor Cuomo and supported by Senate Democrats will save money for taxpayers and give children the rehabilitative services they deserve.”
Among the reforms that the Democrats are calling for include the closure of under-utilized facilities, community based alternatives to detention, and independent oversight of the system.
Senate Republicans have objected to a major overhaul of the system.
Mike Bloomberg has called for localities to run their own juvenile jails, a move that Cuomo has resisted. The Senate Democrats today came down on Bloomberg’s side.