For the first time, new data available Monday confirmed what many had long suspected: New York failure to intervene before students become involved in the court systemand doesn't do enough to bring them back once they are in the city's custody.
About 1,040 youth were enrolled in Passages Academy, an education program for students accused or convicted of crimes, at some point during the last school year, according to report from Children's Rights Advocates. They include youth housed in the city's two secure juvenile detention centers, Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brooklyn and Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx, as well as non-secure facilities and residential facilities.
“Based on the students we're receiving enrolled in Passages, it's likely that they had unmet needs back then that led them to the detention or placement they're in,” said Rohini Singh, director of the School Justice Project at Advocates for Children.
The researchers found that almost all of the young people cycling in and out of Passages were boys. The students were more likely to suffer from emotional disturbances and learning difficultiesDisproportionately black and overexposed. At least half of them struggled with literacy, performing worse on reading tests than 95% of the students in their class.
Advocates for Children was part of a coalition that pushed for legislation passed in late 2023 that would require the Department of Education and Children's Services to publish data on their educational offerings for justice-involved youth.
Monday's report was based on the new availability of that data, and its release coincided with an afternoon hearing by the city's Juvenile Detention Review Board. It featured their clients' stories about the lack of services or plans for the future after their children's release.
Testimony included a 19-year-old Crossroads inmate who required regular counseling due to a disability. During the year of detention he received only three sessions.
Another 14-year-old student was discharged from Horizon under house arrest and a two-day window to enroll in school. His mother went to a local school to enroll her son, but the school turned her down because he was not present due to the conditions of his release.
“When a student is in custody or incarcerated, obviously it means something has happened in their life and it is a moment of crisis, but also a moment of intervention,” Singh added.
In the last couple of years, lawyers have been sounding the alarm about juvenile prisoners sleep on the floor in classrooms Due to overcrowding, the premises are unsuitable for educational purposes. They say the students were hand out paper bags unattended instead of quality face-to-face training.
“We hear all the time from the young people we serve that they are not being taken to school, that entire units are not being allowed to attend school because one or two young people refuse, and that instead of instructions they are being handed packets that are never explained or checked,” said Melinda Andra, lead attorney for the education department of the Legal Aid Society, which represents about 90% of youth involved in the courts.
And while youth classified as having emotional disabilities are overrepresented in Passages, only two psychologists are assigned to various schools, and one in six special education students did not receive a service plan in a timely manner, according to Monday's report.
However, advocates have limited insight into the academic progress of Passage students, in part because the city has not provided data on a number of measures required by law. Representatives of the press service did not explain this omission.
“We take these concerns very seriously,” said Onika Richards, a public schools spokeswoman. “This work is ongoing and we will continue to prioritize strengthening any necessary measures and removing any barriers that have hindered student learning in the past“
An ACS spokesman said the agency has added staff in recent years to coordinate with public schools, partner with CUNY and help coordinate tutoring. Last school year, 15 students graduated from high school and 28 received their GED, up from 8 and 30 the year before, respectively. This fall, a half-dozen young people took the GED test, and dozens more enrolled in college courses.
“We are seeing progress as more young people graduate from high school, earn GEDs and enroll in college,” said Marisa Kaufman, ACS spokeswoman.
But Singh, director of Advocates for Children, said the city needs to do more to ensure young people can rejoin school upon release and break the cycle of returning to Passages.
In the last two school years, less than a quarter of youth transferred back to public school or a GED program, the report found. Among those who continued their education, another quarter dropped out of school less than 10 days after release; many more missed more days of school than attended.
“They get discharged, and then if there is no support to help them attend school regularly,” Singh said, “they often just end up back in detention.”
