Int. No. 436-A

By Council Members Stevens, Williams, Riley, Louis, Nurse, Restler, Bottcher, Sanchez, Menin, Abreu, Farías, Narcisse, Rivera and Gennaro

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to creating a juvenile justice advisory board, and to repeal section 619 of chapter 24-b of the New York city charter in relation thereto

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Chapter 9 of title 21 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 21-922 to read as follows:

§ 21-922 Juvenile justice advisory board. a. There is hereby established a juvenile justice advisory board to advise and provide recommendations to the mayor, the council, and ACS on issues related to juvenile justice, including, but not limited to:

1. Risk factors associated with criminal behavior among youth and interventions to prevent such behavior;

2. The availability of community-based services directed at youth, including justice-involved youth, and their families that effectively prevent youth involvement in criminal behavior and aid in the re-entry and transition from juvenile detention or another court-ordered placement facility to the community. Such services include educational and mental health services, including services that address trauma, family support, and vocation;

3. The availability and efficacy of academic and vocational programming for youth in detention or another court-ordered placement in connection with a juvenile delinquency proceeding;

4. Challenges faced by youth upon discharge from detention or another court-ordered placement in connection with a juvenile delinquency proceeding; and

5. The particular challenges faced by justice-involved youth in foster care.

b. The board shall consist of 20 members, as follows:

1. The speaker of the council or their designee;

2. The commissioner of ACS or their designee;

3. The commissioner of probation or their designee;

4. The commissioner of youth and community development or their designee;

5. The chancellor of the department of education or their designee;

6. The director of the mayor’s office of criminal justice or their designee;

7. The commissioner of health and mental hygiene or their designee; and

8.  13 public members, including:

(a) The following mayoral appointees:

(1) 1 attorney who specializes in defending youth in family court;

(2) 1 attorney who specializes in defending youth in New York state supreme court;

(3) 1 individual representing an organization that advocates for improvements in education;

(4) 1 mental health professional who specializes in the provision of pediatric mental health services;

(5) 1 individual who specializes in issues of housing adolescents; and

(6) 2 individuals who provide community-based youth development services, 1 of whom focuses on justice-involved youth; and

(b) 6 individuals, or family members of individuals, who were incarcerated, detained, or placed in a juvenile justice facility before their nineteenth birthday, 1 of each to be appointed by the borough presidents and the public advocate.

c. 1. Board members shall serve without compensation.

2. All appointments required by this section shall be made no later than 120 days after the effective date of the local law that added this section.

3. Board members shall serve terms of 6 years and no such member shall be removed from office except by the appointing officer.

4. Any vacancy on the board shall be filled in the manner of the original appointment.

d. The board shall meet at least quarterly and choose a chairperson at its first meeting. The board shall keep a record of its proceedings and determine the rules of its own proceedings, provided that special meetings may be called by the chairperson upon their own initiative or upon receipt of a written request signed by at least 4 board members. Written notice of the time and place of such special meetings shall be given to each member at least 2 weeks before the date fixed by the notice for such special meeting.

e. The board shall, at least annually, hold a public meeting to solicit feedback from stakeholders and the public.

f. No later than 1 year after all appointments required by this section are made, and annually thereafter, the board shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council a report describing the activities of the board over the preceding 12 months, the results of the board’s review and recommendations pursuant to this section, and any challenges faced by the board in providing oversight and feedback pursuant to this section. Each such report shall be posted to ACS’s website upon submission to the mayor.

§ 2. Section 619 of chapter 24-b of the New York city charter is REPEALED.

§ 3. This local law takes effect immediately.

Session 12

AV/DR

LS 8678

2/22/23, 4:06pm

Session 11

LS 1943/15669

Int. 2079-2019

MKW