Opinion: New York promised to invest in youth. It’s time to deliver.

Before I ever held elected office, I spent my days in courtrooms as a public defender. I sat with young people and their families – many of them from communities of color – listening to how they had come to be caught up in the criminal legal system. Their stories were different, but the root causes were not: poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, untreated trauma, school disconnection and a lack of real support.

Those experiences shaped my understanding of public safety. They taught me that punishment does not address the root causes of harm, and that if we truly want safer communities, we must invest earlier, smarter, and more compassionately.

That is why I am proud to serve as the lead Assembly sponsor of the Youth Justice Innovation Fund – a critical piece of legislation that prioritizes prevention, meaningful accountability and opportunity over punishment. The bill would invest $50 million in community-based organizations working to prevent youth arrest and incarceration and to support positive youth development through age 25.

Just in my Assembly district alone, too many young people are navigating immense challenges with too few resources. Families are struggling with rising rents and stagnant wages. Schools and youth programs are stretched thin. Mental health needs have intensified since the pandemic, while access to community-based support remains far out of reach for many. When young people fall through the cracks, the criminal legal system is not equipped to help get them on the right track.

Across New York state, many organizations are already working to prevent these outcomes by connecting young people with the services they need. Locally based nonprofits, mentors, violence interrupters, counselors and others provide after-school programming, employment opportunities, conflict mediation and reentry support. These programs have proven to be effective, but they are chronically underfunded, and it is young people who suffer as a result. 

New York made a promise with the Raise the Age law that we would not only treat children with the care they deserve in the criminal legal system, but also invest in the services that keep young people out of the system altogether. While youth crime has declined since the law took effect, the state has failed to fully deliver on that funding commitment. Since Raise the Age was signed into law, a significant portion of the funding allocated for youth justice services has gone unspent, leaving communities like the Capital District without the support we were promised.

The Youth Justice Innovation Fund would take $50 million of unspent Raise the Age funds from the allotted $250 million and make them available to trusted community-based organizations. Currently, most state funding for these programs has been tied up in red tape. The Innovation Fund would allow organizations across New York to apply directly for state funding, reducing barriers that limit their ability to serve young people.

If we are serious about public safety in Albany and across the state, we must invest in what prevents harm in the first place: mentorship, mental health care, education and employment.

I have seen the cost of the status quo up close, and I know it does not serve our young people or our communities. We can and must choose a better path. The Youth Justice Innovation Fund is a critical step toward keeping our promise to youth and toward investing in a future where they can thrive.