Organization points to Raise the Age, the Youth Justice Innovation Fund, Solutions Not Suspensions and Project Engage as important parts of creating opportunities for youth to learn, grow and participate in their communities
As communities across the country recognize October as Youth Justice Action Month, Westchester Children’s Association (WCA) is calling attention to the policies, investments and civic engagement opportunities that shape the lives and futures of young people in Westchester County and across New York State.
Youth Justice Action Month, originally established as Youth Justice Awareness Month, is observed each October to increase understanding of the experiences of young people who encounter the justice system and to encourage approaches that recognize their developmental needs and capacity for growth.
For WCA, the month also provides an opportunity to highlight the broader systems that affect young people before, during and beyond justice-system involvement, including school discipline, access to community-based supports and opportunities for youth to understand and participate in government and civic life.
“Youth justice is about more than what happens after a young person enters a courtroom,” said Adam Rabinovitch, Executive Director of Westchester Children’s Association. “It is also about what happens in our schools, whether young people have access to supportive programs in their communities and whether they understand that their voices matter. Youth Justice Action Month gives us an opportunity to look at all of those pieces together and consider how we can create systems that hold young people accountable while also giving them meaningful opportunities to learn, grow and succeed.”
One policy at the center of New York’s youth justice system is Raise the Age, enacted in 2017. The law increased the age of adult criminal responsibility to 18, with implementation beginning for 16 year-olds in 2018 and 17-year-olds in 2019. It also created specialized Youth Parts in the courts and requires adolescent and juvenile offenders to be separated from adults in detention.
Raise the Age remains an important part of youth justice discussions in Albany. In its response to New York’s FY27 state budget, WCA noted that state leaders rejected efforts to roll back the law, while also expressing disappointment that the final budget did not establish the Youth Justice Innovation Fund.
WCA has long supported approaches that emphasize rehabilitation, age-appropriate intervention and community-based services for young people involved in the justice system. In Westchester, WCA previously convened judges, law enforcement officials, attorneys, probation officials and community providers to examine the local implementation of Raise the Age and the role that collaboration and community programming can play in supporting young people.
WCA is also continuing to advocate for the creation of a Youth Justice Innovation Fund, which would direct $50 million from the state’s existing $250 million Raise the Age appropriation toward community-based organizations providing prevention, early intervention and alternatives to detention, placement and incarceration. The proposal reflects WCA’s focus on ensuring that communities have resources available to support young people before justice-system involvement escalates and to provide meaningful alternatives when intervention is needed.
Creating Supportive Schools Through Solutions Not Suspensions
Youth justice also intersects with what happens in schools. WCA serves as the Westchester lead for the statewide Solutions Not Suspensions Coalition, which focuses on school disciplinary practices and the use of supportive and restorative approaches.
As New York begins developing its FY2027-28 budget, the statewide coalition, joined by more than 100 organizations, has asked Governor Kathy Hochul to include a separate $50 million investment to help schools improve school climate and reduce reliance on exclusionary disciplinary practices such as suspensions and expulsions.
The proposed funding would support technical assistance for school districts, professional development for educators and school personnel, and direct grants to districts undertaking school climate reforms.
WCA also supports Solutions Not Suspensions legislation in Albany, which would revise school disciplinary practices, place additional limits on suspensions and expand supportive interventions and alternative instruction for students who are suspended.
Helping Young People Find Their Civic Voice
WCA’s work with young people extends beyond legislation. Through Project Engage, the organization collaborates with school districts and community groups to help middle and high school students learn about government, volunteerism and what it means to become actively engaged citizens.
The program reflects WCA’s belief that young people should not simply be the subjects of policies and decisions. They should also have opportunities to understand how those decisions are made and how they can participate in their communities.
That work is especially significant in a county where young people represent a substantial share of the population. WCA’s Children By the Numbers 2026 Data Bulletin reports that approximately 295,488 children and young people ages 0 to 24 live in Westchester, representing 29.3 percent of the county’s population.
“Young people experience the impact of public policy every day, whether it is in their classroom, their neighborhood or the justice system,” Rabinovitch added. “Giving them the information, support and opportunity to participate in civic life is an important part of preparing them for the future and strengthening the communities in which they live.”
Throughout Youth Justice Action Month, WCA encourages community members to learn more about the policies, programs and investments affecting young people and the different approaches being considered to strengthen youth supports in Westchester and throughout New York State. For more information about Westchester Children’s Association’s youth justice and civic engagement work, visit wca4kids.org.