On June 2, Senior Policy Associate Caitlyn Passaretti submitted testimony to the New York City Council Criminal Justice Committee Executive Budget Oversight Hearing. On behalf of CCC, the testimony offers recommendations to better support justice involved youth with investments in Alternatives to Incarceration, supportive services, and closing Rikers Island.

Read the testimony below.

Testimony of Caitlyn Passaretti
Senior Policy Associate
Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York
Submitted to the New York City Council FY’2027 Executive Budget Oversight Hearing
Criminal Justice Committee
June 2, 2026

We would like to thank Chair Brooks-Powers and all the members of the City Council Committee on Criminal Justice for providing the opportunity to discuss how to improve the delivery of essential services and programs for NYC youth and young adults in the FY27 Executive Budget.

Restore Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) and Supportive Programming for Youth and Young Adults

Extensive research demonstrates the positive impacts of Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) and reentry programs, including lowering recidivism and crime.[1] Moreover, studies estimate between $3.46-$5.54 in returns for every dollar invested in ATI programs in addition to reduced costs for the criminal justice system and better community health outcomes.[2]

Despite the well-established benefits of these programs, since 2023, the City Administration has cut millions from probation programs proven to support re-entry by connecting young people to mentorship and services. Failing to provide robust reentry services or supportive probation programs will harm youth and is counterproductive to building safe communities.

CCC supports the recommendations of the New York City Youth Justice Coalition, including the following investments and restorations in the FY27 Budget:

• Restore and invest $4.1 million for the IMPACT program to provide increase family court alternatives to detention
• Invest $40 million for the Community Justice Reentry Network
• Baseline $2.4 million with a cost-of-living adjustment to each new year of funding for the Mentoring and Advocacy Program (MAAP)
• Expand Parent Support Services and create an open door policy for Family Support Services for youth as a prevention intervention
• Invest $8.1 million for the Anti-Gun Violence Employment Program
• Invest $8.5 million to reinstate, expand and fully fund YES services with original work scope as an effective impactful preventive tool
• Invest $59.1 million for ATLAS funding
• Invest $3.2 million for NeON program funding
• Invest $3.7 million for the WorksPlus Program
• Restore and baseline $5 million for the NextSTEPs program

Close Rikers and Invest in Supportive Services

As of July 2022, 22.5% of those in Department of Corrections custody were young adults between the ages of 18-25 –approximately 1,300 people.[3] Furthermore, 90% of this population was being held pre-trial, meaning they have not been proven to have committed a crime and are presumed innocent. This age group, 18-25, is referred to as emerging adults. Brain science shows that brains are still developing until at least 25 years old, and that these young adults require an array of developmentally appropriate justice system responses. Emerging adults are more vulnerable to the harsh environment on Rikers Island and will be more impacted in their ability to re-enter society based on what they witness or experience while incarcerated.[4]

The harms of incarceration at Rikers are undeniable. Under the Adams Administration, 48 people died while incarcerated there.[5] Moreover, in the first 6 months of 2021, 18-21 year olds old were involved in 22% of the reported uses of force by staff but only made up 8% of those detained at that time.[6] The dangerous impact of Rikers Island – and the disproportionate harm to young people – cannot be ameliorated by reforms alone.

NYC spends nearly half a million dollars each year to incarcerate just one person on Rikers, and that includes over $370 million on overtime alone. New York must reinvest those resources in services that foster real community safety and wellbeing and prevent involvement in the criminal justice system. The budget for Rikers Island should be redistributed and invested into services that support and assist the reentry of people experiencing incarceration and detention. We join the Campaign to Close Rikers in urging the city to align plans to close Rikers as closely to the original 2027 goal as possible. Additionally, we urge the city to invest in age-appropriate mental health services, diversion and reentry services, and housing for people leaving custody.

[1] Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. ATI Report. Accessed: https://criminaljustice.cityofnewyork.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MOCJ-ATI-RNR-Report-2019.pdf
[2] New York State Alternatives to Incarceration and Reentry Coalition (2024). Unlocking Potential: The Role of Community-Based Alternatives in Strengthening Public Safety. Accessed: https://www.lac.org/assets/files/Unlocking-Potential_The-Role-of-Community-Based-Alternatives-in-Strengthening-Public-Safety.pdf
[3] Columbia University Justice Lab. (2022). Emerging Adults Incarcerated at Rikers Island. Accessed:  https://justicelab.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/Emerging%20Adults%20at%20Rikers%20Overview.pdf
[4] Columbia University Justice Lab. (2022). Emerging Adults Incarcerated at Rikers Island. Accessed:  https://justicelab.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/Emerging%20Adults%20at%20Rikers%20Overview.pdf
[5] Vera. (2026). Tracking Deaths in NYC Jails Since 2022. Accessed: https://www.vera.org/news/nyc-jail-deaths
[6] The Nunez Monitoring Team. (2021). Twelfth Report of the Nunez Independent Monitor