Nassau County Executive and Republican candidate for Governor Bruce Blakeman today called for the repeal of New York’s “Raise the Age” law, blasting Governor Kathy Hochul for a policy he says is driving a sharp rise in youth crime and putting communities at risk.
“Raise the Age has failed, and Governor Hochul owns the consequences,” Blakeman said. “By shielding violent juvenile offenders from real accountability, Albany has created a system where dangerous behavior is excused, victims are ignored, and communities pay the price.”
According to the Mayor’s Office for Criminal Justice, the share of serious violent felony arrests involving juveniles in New York City has climbed dramatically since Raise the Age took effect—rising from 9.8% in 2018 to 13.1% in 2022, 15.6% in 2024, and surging to 23.3% in 2025. Gun violence data paints an equally alarming picture: 14% of shooting victims were under age 18 in 2025, up from 9% the previous year, and 18% of gun-violence perpetrators were minors.
Despite these jarring figures, Hochul has repeatedly celebrated the law, funded its programs, and made it a central part of her criminal justice agenda. Hochul praised the policy when it was enacted, stating: “New York is leading the nation with our bold progressive agenda… We’re raising the age of criminal responsibility to remove 16 and 17-year-olds from the adult criminal justice system and place them in settings with proper services and treatment. We championed this cause of ending the injustice of treating teenagers as adults.”
“Governor Hochul’s approach is negligence,” Blakeman said. “This policy took serious crimes out of the adult justice system and put them into a system that was never designed to handle violent offenders. When teenagers who commit armed robberies, assaults, and shootings know there are no real consequences, crime goes up. That’s exactly what the numbers show.”
Blakeman said that as Governor, he will end Raise the Age for violent offenses and restore accountability to New York’s criminal justice system. “Violent crime by minors is rising, victims are getting younger, and communities are less safe. Governor Hochul knows this law isn’t working and refuses to act. I won’t. I will put an end to this policy and put consequences back where they belong,” Blakeman concluded.
CREDIT: Bruce Blakeman Press Release