Bid to reform juvenile justice e

ALBANY— Jim Saint Germaine— who was mixed up with drugs and just shy of 16 when he was arrested and sent to a juvenile facility — brought his story to the state Capitol on Tuesday in an effort to convince lawmakers to change New York’s policy of automatically prosecuting 16and 17yearold offenders as adults.

New York and North Carolina are the last two states that automatically treat these minors as adults when it comes to prosecution and incarceration. Studies show adolescent offenders are much more likely to be sexually assaulted or to commit suicide if they are sent to an adult prison rather than a juvenile facility.

“I would have been sent to Rikers Island. Instead I was given a chance,” said Saint Germaine, now 25, who is pursuing a master’s degree at New York University. “It saved my life.”

Gov. Cuomo ( right) has proposed changing the law so all but the most violent 16and 17yearolds are dealt with in the juvenile justice system.. The Democratic governor points to research that shows adolescents lack the decisionmaking skills o of adults, and to other research that t shows they are less likely to commi it more crimes if treated as juveniles s.

The proposal is one of sever ral changes to the juvenile justice sys stem sought by Cuomo that include changes in sentencing and a prohibition on the housing of minors in adult prisons.