New York City Adolescent Offender and Raise the Age Lawyer

New York was one of the last states in the country to treat sixteen and seventeen-year-olds as adults by default in the criminal justice system. The Raise the Age legislation changed that, pulling most adolescent offenders out of adult criminal court and routing them through a system designed, at least in theory, to balance accountability with the developmental realities of young people. But the law is not a simple shield. New York City adolescent offender and Raise the Age lawyer Jason Goldman understands that this framework is layered with exceptions, judicial discretion, and prosecutorial pressures that can still land a teenager in adult court with adult consequences if the case is not handled correctly from the start.

The stakes for a young person caught in New York’s criminal system extend far beyond whatever sentence is imposed. A conviction, or even an adjudication, can affect college admissions, financial aid eligibility, professional licensing, military service, and immigration status for non-citizen youth. Many families assume that because their child is sixteen or seventeen, the system will automatically treat them gently. That assumption has cost real teenagers real futures. How a case is postured in its earliest stages, before arraignment, before a charge is formally designated, often determines whether a young person emerges from this system intact or permanently marked.

Jason Goldman’s background as a former Brooklyn prosecutor gives him a working knowledge of how district attorneys’ offices think about adolescent offender cases, which charges they are inclined to move toward adult court, and where leverage exists to keep a matter in Youth Part or secure a disposition that protects a young person’s record. That perspective matters enormously in a system where advocacy must happen fast and on multiple fronts simultaneously.

What Raise the Age Actually Does in New York, and Where the Gaps Are

The Raise the Age law raised the age of criminal responsibility so that sixteen and seventeen-year-olds are no longer automatically prosecuted as adults for most offenses. Cases involving these adolescents are now generally initiated in Family Court or in a specialized Youth Part within the adult criminal court system, depending on the nature of the charge. The goal is to give younger defendants access to more rehabilitative outcomes and to prevent juvenile records from automatically becoming adult criminal records.

For offenses designated as non-violent or lower-level misdemeanors, the pathway toward Family Court is relatively clear. But for felony charges, particularly violent felonies, the process is more complicated. Cases can begin in the Youth Part of the adult criminal court and then be reviewed for possible removal to Family Court. If the Youth Part judge determines that removal is not appropriate, the case proceeds through adult criminal court. For the most serious offenses, including certain categories of violent felonies, the law provides for mandatory prosecution in adult court from the outset, without any automatic diversion. That means a seventeen-year-old facing a serious violent felony charge is, in many respects, in the same position as a thirty-five-year-old defendant.

There is also the question of what happens to a case after an adjudication in Family Court. Adolescent Offender cases that result in an Adjudication as a Juvenile Delinquent may eventually be sealed, but the process is not automatic and the timing is governed by rules that do not always work in a young person’s favor. An attorney who treats Raise the Age cases as administrative matters rather than complex legal proceedings does a disservice to clients who may not understand how much is still at risk.

Charges and Situations This Representation Covers

• Violent felony offenses in Youth Part: Charges such as assault in the first or second degree, robbery, and weapons possession often land in the adult court’s Youth Part where the removal-to-Family-Court determination becomes the central early battleground in the case.
• Drug offenses involving adolescent defendants: Teenagers charged in connection with drug distribution, particularly in multi-defendant cases, can face adult prosecution depending on the charge level and the specific facts alleged, even if their role was limited.
• Sex offenses: Certain sexual offense charges carry mandatory adult court prosecution regardless of the defendant’s age, and the consequences of a conviction, including registration requirements, make these among the highest-stakes matters in this space.
• Gun possession charges: Criminal possession of a weapon carries significant weight for adolescent defendants in New York City, and the prosecution of these cases has intensified in recent years. The charge level and specific circumstances determine whether removal to Family Court is even possible.
• Homicide and manslaughter charges: Teenagers charged with murder or manslaughter are prosecuted as adults under the current framework. These are capital-level consequences, and the defense demands the same depth of preparation that any serious adult criminal trial would require.
• Misdemeanor-level offenses with collateral consequence exposure: Even charges that seem minor on the surface can create problems for non-citizen adolescents, young people on student visas, or teenagers with pending college applications. The charge classification matters, but so does the resolution.
• Cases involving co-defendants across age groups: When an adolescent is charged alongside adult co-defendants, jurisdictional and tactical complications multiply. The way a young person’s case is handled can be influenced by decisions made in adult proceedings that are moving on a separate track.

Why the Law Offices of Jason Goldman for an Adolescent Offender Case

Jason Goldman began his career as a prosecutor in Brooklyn, where he handled serious felony cases and built a foundation in how the system actually operates from the government’s side of the table. That background translates directly into a practical understanding of how district attorneys and assistant district attorneys evaluate adolescent offender matters, where they draw lines on removal, and what arguments shift their thinking. He has since tried more than 25 cases to verdict and built a boutique practice representing individuals across every phase of criminal litigation, from pre-arrest investigations through appeals.

The firm’s representation has extended to high-profile cases in New York and beyond, touching matters that required both courtroom skill and the kind of behind-the-scenes management that protects a client’s reputation alongside their legal position. For families with a teenager in the criminal system, that dual capacity matters. Media attention on a young defendant can harden prosecutorial attitudes and damage outcomes before the case reaches any resolution. Mr. Goldman’s network of public relations professionals and crisis communications specialists has been deployed strategically in cases where public narrative had to be managed alongside the courtroom strategy. His work has been recognized by the New York Post, Fox 5, Chelsea News, and WABC, and he has been named a New York Super Lawyers Rising Star. He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the New York City Bar Association, where he serves on the Criminal Courts Committee.

What Families Should Do When a Teenager Is Arrested or Under Investigation

The most damaging decisions in adolescent offender cases are almost always made in the first hours. A teenager who speaks to police without an attorney present, who tries to explain themselves or who cooperates with the assumption that honesty will help, often provides the statements that become the core of the prosecution’s case. Adults in the same situation sometimes understand this instinctively. Teenagers rarely do. The first call a family makes should be to a defense attorney, not to the precinct to understand what happened.

In New York City, adolescent offender arrests processed in the five boroughs are typically arraigned in the Youth Part of the applicable county’s Supreme Court for felony charges, or in Criminal Court for misdemeanor charges. The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island each have their own court structures and their own prosecutorial offices handling these cases. The court where a case is arraigned and initially heard matters because judges and prosecutors vary in how they approach removal motions and disposition negotiations. Understanding the specific courtroom dynamics in a given borough is not something that can be improvised at arraignment.

Families should document everything they know about the circumstances surrounding the arrest, including any witnesses present, any video that may exist from nearby businesses or residential buildings, and any prior interactions between their child and law enforcement. New York City is saturated with surveillance cameras, and that footage can work for the defense as easily as it works against it. Private investigators associated with this firm have recovered footage and conducted counter-investigations that changed the trajectory of serious cases. That process needs to begin immediately because footage is routinely overwritten within days.

One of the most common mistakes families make is waiting to retain counsel until after arraignment, assuming the court will assign someone and things will sort themselves out. Court-appointed attorneys carry enormous caseloads. The pre-arraignment and arraignment phase is when bail is set or contested, when statements can be challenged, and when the initial designation of the charge, which determines which court will handle the matter, is most susceptible to advocacy. Retaining private counsel before that stage is not a luxury; it is a meaningful strategic decision.

Questions Families Ask About Adolescent Offender Cases in New York

What is the difference between the Youth Part and Family Court in New York?

The Youth Part is a specialized part within the adult criminal court system that handles felony cases involving sixteen and seventeen-year-old defendants. A judge in the Youth Part can decide to remove a case to Family Court, where a more rehabilitative process applies. Family Court handles cases differently, with outcomes that are more likely to be sealed and less likely to carry permanent adult criminal record consequences. Not all cases qualify for removal, and the judge’s decision is based on a set of statutory factors that include the nature of the charge, the defendant’s history, and the interests of justice.

Can a Raise the Age case still result in an adult criminal record?

Yes. Cases that remain in the Youth Part because removal to Family Court was denied, or cases involving charges that are excluded from removal eligibility, proceed through the adult criminal justice system. A conviction in that context creates an adult criminal record just as it would for an older defendant. The Raise the Age framework reduces the automatic exposure to adult prosecution, but it does not eliminate it for a significant category of serious offenses.

At what age does someone stop being considered an adolescent offender in New York?

Under current law, Adolescent Offender status applies to individuals who were sixteen or seventeen years old at the time of the alleged offense. Individuals who are eighteen or older at the time of arrest are processed entirely within the adult criminal justice system, without access to the Youth Part or the removal-to-Family-Court mechanism that applies to younger defendants.

Will an adolescent offender adjudication show up on a background check?

Cases resolved in Family Court through a juvenile delinquency adjudication are generally sealed, but sealing is not immediate and the process requires attention. Cases resolved in the Youth Part as adult criminal convictions are subject to standard criminal record rules, which means they appear on background checks until and unless they are sealed under applicable New York sealing statutes. Non-citizen adolescents face particular risks because immigration consequences attach to criminal convictions regardless of the defendant’s age at the time of the offense.

Can a teenager be charged as an adult for a first-time offense?

Yes. The nature of the charge, not the defendant’s prior record, governs whether adult prosecution is mandatory or available. A teenager with no prior record who is charged with a qualifying violent felony can face adult prosecution. First-time offender status is a factor that influences how the case may be negotiated and how a removal motion might be argued, but it does not automatically redirect a case out of the adult system.

Does a Raise the Age case affect college financial aid or admissions?

A sealed Family Court adjudication generally does not need to be disclosed on college applications and does not affect federal financial aid eligibility. An adult criminal conviction, even one resulting from a Youth Part case, follows a different set of rules. Certain felony drug convictions have historically triggered federal financial aid consequences, and some colleges ask about criminal history regardless of the mandatory disclosure requirements under federal law. The specific resolution and how it is classified matters significantly for a young person’s educational future.

What happens at the removal hearing in the Youth Part?

When a case is designated for potential removal to Family Court, the Youth Part judge holds a hearing and considers factors including the seriousness of the alleged offense, the defendant’s prior history, whether the interests of the community and the defendant are best served by Family Court adjudication, and whether there are available dispositional options in Family Court that are adequate given the circumstances. Defense counsel has the opportunity to present evidence and argument in support of removal. This hearing is a critical advocacy moment and should not be treated as a formality.

What if a teenager was a minor participant in a larger criminal incident?

Minor participation does not automatically change the charge classification or create a pathway to Family Court. However, it is highly relevant to how the case is negotiated, how the removal motion is argued, and what sentence or disposition is appropriate if the case resolves through a plea. Prosecutors in New York City vary significantly in how they treat peripheral participants in multi-defendant matters, and the specific facts of how a young person was involved, and what evidence exists connecting them to the core conduct, can drive the entire outcome.

Can parents attend court proceedings for an adolescent offender case?

In Family Court proceedings, parents or guardians are typically required to attend and are considered parties to the proceeding in a meaningful sense. Youth Part proceedings in adult criminal court follow adult court procedures more closely, though parents may be present in the courtroom in their capacity as observers. The involvement of parents in the defense process is important from a practical standpoint because their participation, stability, and resources often influence how a case is disposed of and what alternatives to incarceration are available.

How does a defense attorney challenge evidence in an adolescent offender case?

The same constitutional protections that apply in adult criminal cases apply here. Statements obtained without proper warnings, evidence gathered through unlawful searches, identifications tainted by suggestive procedures, all of these suppression arguments are available in Youth Part proceedings. The difference is that teenagers are often more susceptible to coercive questioning, and courts have recognized that adolescent defendants may not fully understand their rights even when those rights are technically explained. Building a suppression record specific to the age and circumstances of the defendant can be a meaningful component of the defense strategy.

Adolescent Offender Defense Across New York City and the Surrounding Region

The Law Offices of Jason Goldman represents adolescent offenders and their families throughout New York City, including clients in Manhattan from Washington Heights through Harlem, Midtown, and the Lower East Side, as well as throughout the borough of the Bronx, from Fordham and Tremont to Mott Haven and Co-op City. Brooklyn clients from Flatbush, Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, Sunset Park, and Red Hook have navigated Youth Part proceedings with this firm’s representation. In Queens, the firm serves families in Jamaica, Flushing, Astoria, Jackson Heights, and Far Rockaway, as well as throughout Staten Island, including clients from St. George and New Dorp. Beyond the five boroughs, the firm handles matters in Westchester County communities including Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, and White Plains, as well as in Nassau County and Suffolk County on Long Island. Mr. Goldman is admitted in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York for federal matters and has secured pro hac vice admission to represent clients in courts across the country when cases of sufficient significance require it.

NYC Adolescent Offender Attorney Ready to Move on Your Child’s Case

A teenager’s case in New York’s criminal system can move quickly toward outcomes that carry consequences lasting decades. Waiting to see how things develop is not a strategy. Retaining an NYC adolescent offender attorney who understands how the Youth Part operates, how removal motions are won, and how to engage the prosecution from a position of preparation, rather than reaction, is the decision that most directly shapes what happens next. Jason Goldman has built a practice on discretion, meticulous preparation, and an understanding that the courtroom is only one of several arenas where a case is won or lost. Call the Law Offices of Jason Goldman today to discuss your child’s situation and understand what the defense options actually look like.