New York City released its Mayor's Management Report on Wednesday, showing that while overall crime fell in fiscal year 2025 across the five boroughs, youth crime rose sharply in the wake of the state’s Raise the Age law. The 554-page document tallies 5,623 felony arrests of youths in FY2025, more than double the roughly 2,200 youths arrested for felonies in FY2018, the year the law began to phase in, and 2,807 in 2021. City Hall officials say the trend is linked to the broader shifting treatment of juveniles under the legislation, which raised the age of criminal responsibility and changed where certain youths are housed.
Six of seven major crime categories declined citywide over the year, with murders down 6%, robberies down 17%, felonious assaults down 9%, burglaries down 5%, and grand larceny and grand larceny auto each down 10%. Shooting incidents dropped 14% year over year, from 932 to 804, and August’s shooting totals represented the fewest in the COMPSTAT era since the data began in 1993. The report notes that crime in the city’s transit system rose in some areas, and police issued a large number of quality-of-life summonses as part of a broader enforcement effort.
But the youth-crime numbers tell a different story. The report shows 5,177 crimes against youths in FY2025, up from 2,259 in 2021, and it notes that juvenile murder arrests nearly quadrupled from eight in 2017 to 30 in 2024. City officials say the rise in youth arrests reflects policy changes and demographic factors, and they emphasize the need for continued focus on prevention and engagement with young people before contact with the justice system.
City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak said the administration believes the Raise the Age legislation contributed to younger perpetrators and victims, and that the city is pressing state legislators to reform such laws while continuing prevention programs, including after-school initiatives and summer youth employment. The Adams administration has argued that investments in education and community programs are essential to safety and that incarceration should not be the default response for juvenile offenders.
In interviews with The New York Post, Mayor Adams indicated that officials would analyze the potential correlation between the Raise the Age law and the uptick in youth crime, cautioned that well-intentioned policies can yield unintended consequences, and reiterated the administration’s support for prevention programs as its preferred approach to reducing crime over incarceration for youths. He stressed that the city will continue to invest in after-school programs, summer employment, internships, and other preventions while pursuing accountability measures where appropriate. The NYPD has signaled ongoing efforts to focus on school and student safety as part of a broader crime-reduction strategy.
Context: Raise the Age, enacted in 2017, raised the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18 and shifted certain juveniles into juvenile facilities rather than adult jails. A 2020 mayoral report noted a 54% rise in juvenile felony arrests due to the phased implementation of the law, as 16-year-olds began to be included in a full-year count. After a dip to 2,807 in 2021 during the COVID-19 shutdown, the numbers rose to 4,037 in 2022 and reached 5,623 in 2025, according to the current report. Analysts emphasize that the policy’s effects are complex and still unfolding, with some data suggesting reductions in adult crime while shifts in juvenile enforcement are ongoing. The report also highlights broader enforcement trends, including a rise in transit arrests to 25,833 from 14,545 and quality-of-life summonses climbing to 196,102, reflecting a citywide emphasis on public-order enforcement under NYPD leadership.
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