N.Y. State Lawmakers Call For End To Prosecution Of 16- And 17-Year-Olds As Adults

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York is one of two states that prosecute 16- and 17-year-olds as adults, and a new report said doing away with the practice would have positive economic impacts.

As WCBS 880's Mike Smeltz reported, the report was compiled by the State Senate Independent Democratic Conference. It indicated that taxpayers in New York state are paying nearly $120 million a year to jail 16- and 17-year-olds.

State Sen. Jesse Hamilton, who supports raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18, said the reason New York lags behind the country is because upstate lawmakers with prisons in their district do not want to see a decrease in the prison population.

"Prisons do provide jobs, believe it or not, for certain communities and they make a lot of money," Hamilton said. "We can't say we want economic development on the backs of poor people coming from poor neighborhoods."

Beyond the economic impact, Hamilton said when teens are thrown into jail with adults, those teens go down a nearly unavoidable path of violence and crime.

"So when you go to prison and you're being brutalized when you come out you're hurting and what are you going to do?" Hamilton said. "You're going to hurt other people."