Children are certainly struggling.
According to new data from the New York City Police Department, youth violence is expected to hit record levels in 2025, with a concerning rise in both shooters and shooting victims under 18 years of age.
Last year, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch highlighted at a press conference that 14% of shooting victims and 18% of those doing the shooting were young people.
“These are the highest percentages we’ve tracked since we started gathering this data in 2018,” Tisch noted.
The alarming rate of shootings has left many parents anxious about how New York’s contentious “raise the age” law might affect youth violence in the years ahead. This comes during a period where crime rates were at a historic low.
There were several shocking incidents last year involving young people as either perpetrators or victims. One example is 18-year-old Damien Calhoun, who had been released on an attempted murder charge due to the “raise the age” law and was reportedly involved in a September shootout.
Jennifer Talbot, whose 17-year-old daughter Antonaya Campbell was tragically killed by a stray bullet in a Bronx park, described the crime figures as “disturbing.”
Interestingly, two of the four individuals charged in connection with Campbell’s shooting were under 18.
“They committed an adult crime, so we need to change the law and put them in adult court. They need to understand that there are consequences,” Talbot expressed on Tuesday.
She suggested, perhaps a bit intensely, that young offenders should witness the aftermath of violence firsthand to grasp the severity of their actions.
The “raise the age” law was enacted in 2017 by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo, raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18, which was fully instituted by 2019.
Supporters of this legislation argued that prosecuting youths as adults was detrimental to their rehabilitation.
However, critics contended that the law obscures the troubling records of many young offenders.
“We are sanitizing arrest records to create a sense of progress on youth violence,” some law enforcement officials argued.
Tisch also pointed to the rise in juvenile crime as a consequence of the law, suggesting gangs are increasingly recruiting younger members to shield their older counterparts from repercussions.
“Serious issues arise in an environment where there are no consequences. Right now, juvenile offenders in New York City are essentially living in such an environment,” she remarked in June.
Interestingly, Tisch refrained from discussing the law during the release of the 2025 crime statistics.
“Addressing youth violence isn’t the responsibility of one department or agency. It requires a collective effort—from families to officials—to ensure the safety of young people,” she commented.
She hinted that Albany might take steps to address these issues and mentioned possible changes within the city’s Department of Child Services and Probation Department.
“I look forward to discussing this with the mayor and his team. Tackling gun violence and its victims requires a comprehensive city and state approach,” she concluded.
