Opinion ID: 204743
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Youthful Offender Adjudication: The New York Scheme

Text: As a sixteen-year-old charged with the felony of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree, Conca was an eligible youth, i.e., eligible to be adjudicated a youthful offender under New York law. See N.Y.CRIM. PROC. LAW § 720.10(1)-(2) (McKinney 2011). The process leading to this adjudication begins as follows: Upon conviction of an eligible youth, the court must order a pre-sentence investigation of the defendant. After receipt of a written report of the investigation and at the time of pronouncing sentence the court must determine whether or not the eligible youth is a youthful offender. Id. § 720.20(1). In making that determination, the state court is obliged to decide whether relieving the defendant of the onus of a criminal conviction and not imposing an indeterminate prison term of more than four years would serve the interest of justice. Id. § 720.20(1)(a). If those criteria are met, the court may find an eligible youth to be a youthful offender. The court must find that an eligible youth is a youthful offender where the conviction is in a local criminal court and the eligible youth has not been convicted of a crime or found to be a youthful offender in the past. Id. § 720.20(1)(b). If the court does not determine that an eligible youth is a youthful offender, it must continue the action to judgment pursuant to the ordinary rules governing criminal prosecutions. Id. § 720.20(4). However, [u]pon determining that an eligible youth is a youthful offender, the court must direct that the conviction be deemed vacated and replaced by a youthful offender finding; and the court must sentence the defendant pursuant to section 60.02 of the penal law. Id. § 720.20(3). As pertinent here, section 60.02 of the New York Penal Law provides that [i]f the sentence is to be imposed upon a youthful offender finding which has been substituted for a conviction for any felony, the court must impose a sentence authorized to be imposed upon a person convicted of a class E felony. N.Y. PENAL LAW § 60.02(2) (McKinney 2009). A class E felony is one of four felony classifications calling for indeterminate sentencing for a variety of offenses covered by the New York Penal Law. See id. § 70.00(2). The New York Criminal Procedure Law provides that [a] youthful offender adjudication is comprised of a youthful offender finding and the youthful offender sentence imposed thereon and is completed by imposition and entry of the youthful offender sentence. N.Y.CRIM. PROC. LAW § 720.10(6) (McKinney 2011). New York law specifically provides that a youthful offender adjudication (1) is not a judgment of conviction; (2) does not disqualify the youthful offender from holding public office or from public employment; and (3) cannot be considered in connection with any license issued by a public authority. Id. § 720.35(1). All official records and papers relating to youthful offender adjudications are designated as confidential and may not be made available to any person or agency, with certain exceptions. Id. § 720.35(2). Among the exceptions are an institution to which such youth has been committed, the division of parole and a probation department of this state that requires such official records and papers for the purpose of carrying out duties specifically authorized by law. Id. The New York courts have made clear that [t]he youthful offender provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law `emanate from a legislative desire not to stigmatize youths between the ages of 16 and 19 with criminal records triggered by hasty or thoughtless acts which, although crimes, may not have been the serious deeds of hardened criminals.' People v. Victor J., 283 A.D.2d 205, 724 N.Y.S.2d 162, 163 (2001) (quoting People v. Drayton, 39 N.Y.2d 580, 385 N.Y.S.2d 1, 350 N.E.2d 377, 379 (1976)). A different procedure obtains for offenders under 16 years of age, who are generally not held liable for criminal conduct, with certain exceptions. N.Y. PENAL LAW § 30.00(1)-(2) (McKinney 2009). Such alleged juvenile offenders may have their actions removed to family court pursuant to New York Criminal Procedure Law section 725.10. Upon a finding of delinquent conduct in the family court, juvenile offenders are committed to the jurisdiction of the Division for Youth. N.Y. PENAL LAW § 70.20(4)(a) (McKinney 2009); see N.Y. FAM. CT. ACT § 301.2(3) (McKinney 2008) (defining [d]etention as the temporary care and maintenance of children away from their own homes and stating that [d]etention of a person alleged to be or adjudicated as a juvenile delinquent shall be authorized only in a facility certified by the division for youth as a detention facility). By contrast, those offenders age 16 and older who are adjudicated youthful offenders are committed to the custody of the Department of Correctional Services. N.Y. PENAL LAW § 70.20(1) (McKinney 2009).