Posted: November 29th, 2012 | by Yuval Sheer

On November 14, 2012 Judge Corriero was invited to participate in a panel discussion with Fordham Law School students and faculty, examining New York’s raise the age movement. The panel was titled “Raise The Age: Keep Children Out of the Adult Criminal System.”  This event was organized by Fordham Law School’s Youth Advocacy Law Association, a student group that analyzes legal practice as it relates to youth. The group works to raise awareness and understanding of legal procedures, policies and issues impacting youth, particularly those from underserved communities.

During the panel discussion, Judge Corriero detailed the efforts presently taking place in New York State to ensure that our justice system judges children as children. He emphasized the need for a rational justice system that responds to youths’ misconduct with strategies designed to improve their chances of becoming productive adults. Directly addressing the students, Judge Corriero stressed the importance of working on behalf of underserved youth: “As law students who have been provided an opportunity to succeed, you need to make sure that that door is as open for them as it was for you.”

We would like to thank Will Fullwood and Aryan Hawkins, directors of Fordham’s Youth Advocacy Law Association for organizing the event and highlighting this critical issue. We also extend thanks to the panel moderator, Clinical Associate Professor Martha Rayner, a teacher in Fordham’s Criminal Defense Clinic and creator of Fordham’s International Justice Clinic. Finally, we greatly appreciate the contribution of Kate Donoghue, an attorney with the Connecticut Legal Services, Inc.-Child and Youth Advocacy Team. Ms. Donoghue shared her valuable insights regarding Connecticut’s success in enacting legislation that raised the age of criminal responsibility to 18.

 

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Panel members Prof. Martha Rayner, Kate Donoghue, and Judge Corriero, and the evening's organizers Will Fulwood and Aryan Hawkins