File #: Int 0629-2026    Version: * Name: Establishment of teams to review the population of youth held in secure detention facilities.
Type: Introduction Status: Committee
Committee: Committee on Children and Youth
On agenda: 2/12/2026
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the establishment of teams to review the population of youth held in secure detention facilities
Sponsors: Lincoln Restler, Althea V. Stevens, Farah N. Louis
Council Member Sponsors: 3
Summary: This bill would require the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) to establish teams to evaluate the circumstances of each youth held in secure detention using a variety of factors and recommend candidates for early release or early case resolution. The teams would be required to share recommendations with the youth’s defense attorney, and would be required, or permitted in some instances, to share them with other parties involved in the youth’s case if the defense attorney consents. ACS, the Department of Education, the Department of Probation, and other city agencies providing certain services in secure detention facilities would be required to participate in the teams. This bill would also require ACS to report twice yearly on the teams’ work, including but not limited to, the number of youth the teams reviewed, the number of youth the teams identified as candidates for early release or early case resolution, and the number of these youth released from secure detention.
Indexes: Report Required
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 629, 2. Int. No. 629, 3. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 2-12-26

Int. No. 629

 

By Council Members Restler, Stevens and Louis

 

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the establishment of teams to review the population of youth held in secure detention facilities

 

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 21-925 to read as follows:

§ 21-925 Population review of individuals residing in secure detention facilities. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

Adolescent offender. The term “adolescent offender” means any individual in the custody of ACS who is charged pursuant to the criminal procedure law as an adolescent offender, as such term is defined in subdivision 44 of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law.

Covered youth. The term “covered youth” means a juvenile delinquent, juvenile offender, or adolescent offender who has been residing in a secure detention facility operated by ACS for at least 7 consecutive days.

Juvenile delinquent. The term “juvenile delinquent” means any individual in the custody of ACS who is charged pursuant to the family court act as a juvenile delinquent, as such term is defined in subdivision 1 of section 301.2 of the family court act.

Juvenile offender. The term “juvenile offender” means any individual in the custody of ACS who is charged pursuant to the criminal procedure law as a juvenile offender, as such term is defined in subdivision 42 of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law.

Secure detention facility. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the term “secure detention facility” means a facility, certified by the New York state office of children and family services, for the care of juvenile delinquents, juvenile offenders, or adolescent offenders detained in accordance with the provisions of the family court act, regulations of the New York state office of children and family services, and the criminal procedure law and that is characterized by physically restricting construction, hardware, and procedures.

b. Establishment of review teams. ACS shall establish population review teams to identify covered youth whose cases could be subject to early resolution or who could be released from ACS custody prior to a fact-finding hearing or trial. ACS shall establish one such team in each borough within 6 months after the effective date of the local law that added this section.

c. Membership of review teams. 1. Each population review team shall be composed of:

(a) The commissioner, or such commissioner’s designee;

(b) The director of probation, or such director’s designee;

(c) The chancellor of the city school district, or such chancellor’s designee; and

(d) A representative from each agency not already represented on such team that provides training, programming, or counseling at secure detention facilities operated by ACS.

2. ACS shall make reasonable efforts to involve a representative from each entity that furnishes health care at secure detention facilities operated by ACS in each population review team.

3. ACS shall make reasonable efforts to involve a representative from each public defender organization funded by the city that operates within the respective borough of a population review team in such team. 

4. ACS shall make reasonable efforts to involve a representative from each entity not already represented on a population review team that provides training, programming, or counseling at secure detention facilities operated by ACS in such team.

d. Identification of factors to be considered in review. ACS, in collaboration with the first established population review team, shall identify factors to be considered when conducting population review of covered youths. Such factors shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. The charges filed against the covered youth;

2. Any known physical and mental health conditions affecting such covered youth;

3. Any known psychosocial conditions contributing to such covered youth’s circumstances at the time of arrest, including, but not limited to, such covered youth’s mental and emotional health, housing, employment, education, and history of trauma;

4. The physical or mental health treatment needs of such covered youth;

5. Any available community-based programming that provides services outside secure detention facilities operated by ACS;

6. The amount of any bail set relative to such covered youth’s ability to pay bail;

7. The typical hearing disposition or trial sentence imposed in similar cases; and

8. Consultations with the case management, programmatic, and educational staff at secure detention facilities operated by ACS who have engaged or engage with such covered youth.

e. Review and recommendations. 1. Each population review team shall review the cases of covered youth considering the factors set forth in, and developed pursuant to, subdivision d of this section, to the extent such team has access to the information implicated by such factors. Each population review team shall develop recommendations as appropriate for early case resolution, release prior to a fact-finding hearing, or pretrial release. For each recommendation for release developed, such team shall include the reasons the covered youth is recommended for release and suggested conditions of release.

2. Each population review team shall provide, as early as practicable, all the material information collected during such team’s review of a covered youth and any relevant recommendations developed pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subdivision to such covered youth’s attorney. With the consent of such covered youth’s attorney, such team may share such recommendations with the law department or the district attorney involved in such covered youth’s case, as appropriate.

3. Where a population review team develops a recommendation pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subdivision, such team shall seek the consent of the covered youth’s attorney to present such recommendation to the entities or officials who have the authority to release such covered youth. Upon receiving such consent, such team shall present such recommendation to the entities or officials who have the authority to release such covered youth.

f. Meetings. 1. Each population review team shall meet twice a month to conduct population review and develop recommendations as required by this section. ACS shall convene each meeting and provide sufficient staff to fulfill the goals of the population review teams. No later than 7 days prior to each meeting of a population review team, ACS shall provide a list of covered youth to be reviewed at such meeting.

2. For the cases of covered youth that are pending within the 6 months after the effective date of the local law that added this section, ACS shall ensure that a population review team reviews such cases within 9 months after such effective date, and every 6 months thereafter. For the cases of covered youth that originate more than 6 months after such effective date, ACS shall ensure that a population review team reviews such cases within 1 month after the covered youth’s date of entry into ACS custody, and every 6 months thereafter.

3. The population review teams may invite experts and stakeholders to attend their meetings and to provide testimony and information relevant to their duties.

g. Confidentiality. ACS shall establish confidentiality protocols for the population review teams to ensure that all information collected to conduct the population review required by this section is collected, maintained, and disclosed in accordance with applicable law and policies. Except as otherwise required by law, the population review teams shall not share any information concerning a covered youth’s case with the law department, a district attorney, or any entity or official who has the authority to release such covered youth without the consent of the covered youth’s attorney.

h. Report. 1. ACS shall publish on its website and submit to the speaker of the council and the mayor a semiannual report on the population review required by this section within 60 days of January 1 and July 1 of each year. Such report shall include the following information for the immediately preceding calendar half year, disaggregated by race, age, gender, and any relevant health designations, where such information is available to ACS:

(a) The number of covered youth whose cases were reviewed by a population review team;

(b) The number of covered youth for whom initial review was completed in (i) zero to 10 days, (ii) 11 to 20 days, or (iii) more than 21 days after the covered youth’s date of entry into ACS custody;

(c) The number of covered youth identified through review as having opportunities for early case resolution, release prior to a fact-finding hearing, or pretrial release;

(d) The number of covered youth identified in subparagraph (c) of this paragraph who were released from a secure detention facility, disaggregated by the disposition or status of such youth’s case and the conditions of pre-hearing or pretrial release, if any; and

(e) The number of covered youth identified in subparagraph (d) of this paragraph who were returned to a secure detention facility or assigned to a correctional facility operated by the department of correction.

2. ACS shall consult with the department of correction to obtain information required to be reported pursuant to subparagraph (e) of paragraph 1 of this subdivision.

3. If any of the categories identified in subparagraphs (a) through (e) of paragraph 1 of this subdivision contain between 1 and 5 covered youth, or contain a number that would allow the number of covered youth in another category that is 5 or fewer to be deduced, the number shall be replaced with a symbol.

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.

MLL/CY

LS #14317/14912

Int. #1523-2025

1/7/2026 5:08 PM