A Second Chance: Legal Advocates Push to Reshape Sentencing for New York’s Youth
In an effort to reshape how New York’s criminal justice system handles young people who commit serious crimes, two public defenders are making waves with an op-ed recently published in the Albany Times Union. Allison and Barbara, attorneys at the Center for Appellate Litigation (CAL), are calling for reforms rooted in modern neuroscience and human dignity.
Their work centers on the Youth and Emerging Adult Resentencing (YEARS) Project, a legal initiative aimed at reducing decades-long prison sentences imposed on people who were teenagers or in their early twenties at the time of their crimes. Their focus: redemption over retribution.
“We work with people who committed serious offenses as kids,” said Barbara, who co-founded the project in 2020. “Many were sentenced to 30, 40, even 50 years without anyone fully understanding their circumstances or the science of adolescent brain development.”
That science — now widely accepted — shows that the human brain, particularly the areas controlling decision-making and impulse, continues developing well into a person’s mid-twenties. For Allison and Barbara, this is more than an academic point — it’s a call to action.
“Our justice system has been slow to catch up with what science already knows: young people are inherently more capable of growth and change,” said Allison.
In their Times Union piece, the attorneys spotlight one client, Archie Price, who was 16 when he was incarcerated and is now unrecognizably changed. The op-ed details his transformation from a scared, angry teenager to a man who served as a hospice aide in prison and who now mentors younger inmates. Price’s story is emblematic of many YEARS clients, whose lives were shaped by violence, poverty, and trauma long before they entered the courtroom.
The project’s approach is both legal and human. Mitigation specialists interview family members, dig through school and child services records, and present a full picture of the person beyond the crime. “It’s not about justifying what happened,” said Allison. “It’s about understanding it—and recognizing that people change.”
That message is gaining traction. Second Look legislation, which would allow courts to revisit lengthy sentences after a set number of years, has been introduced in Albany. Although not yet law, similar measures have been passed in 12 other states and the District of Columbia
If enacted in New York, it could affect more than 2,200 individuals who were under 25 at the time of their offense.
“We’re not saying don’t punish,” said Barbara. “Even our clients say they needed to be held accountable. But what about after 20 or 30 years, when they’ve changed, matured, and are no longer a threat? Keeping them locked up serves no public safety purpose.”
The advocates also reject the notion that their work is a burden on an already strained system. “We do the heavy lifting,” said Allison. “We bring complete reports to the court, backed by evidence and testimony. And many corrections officers agree — they’ve told us, ‘This person doesn’t need to be here anymore.’”
The YEARS Project has already secured releases for some clients. One now works as a mentor; another was able to hold his newborn grandchild — something he never thought possible.
For Allison and Barbara, it’s proof that their model works — and that society as a whole stands to benefit when second chances are not just a dream, but a reality.
“We want our system to reflect our values,” said Allison. “Belief in growth. Belief in redemption. And belief in a justice system that’s not frozen in time, but evolving alongside our understanding of what it means to be human.”
