You are here: / / Dissenter Would Have Reduced Defendant’s Sentence Because of His...

Dissenter Would Have Reduced Defendant’s Sentence Because of His Age (15), the Factual Background of the Offense and Defendant’s “Sad Life”

The First Department affirmed the conviction and sentence of a defendant who was 15 years old at the time he pled guilty.  The court determined the sentencing court properly refused to grant the defendant youthful offender status.  The decision is notable for the extensive dissent of Justice Freedman who would have reduced the defendant’s sentence because of his age, the facts of the offense and the defendant’s background.  From the dissent:

I write separately because I believe the current law that allows 15 year olds to be tried as adult criminals, even though they are sentenced as juvenile offenders, belies everything science has taught us about the functioning of the juvenile brain (People v Rudolph, 21 NY3d 497 [Graffeo, J., concurring at 506] [2013]). For that reason, I would reduce the sentence to 2 to 6 years to be served concurrently with the five-year term of defendant’s Kings County sentence, but would not accord defendant the youthful offender treatment that he seeks. * * *

In the 2010 presentence report in the instant matter, the probation department stated that defendant “would benefit from a mental health evaluation and a residential mental health treatment program.” However, the court sentenced him to three to nine and denied youthful offender treatment. In pronouncing sentence here, the court noted that defendant had “a very sad life,” but since he “violated every condition” a sentence near the maximum without youthful offender treatment was warranted. The differences between juvenile and adult criminals were highlighted by the United State Supreme Court in Graham v Florida (560 US 48, 68 [2010] [“(a)s petitioner(s) point out, developments in psychology and brain science continue to show fundamental differences between juvenile and adult minds. For example, parts of the brain involved in behavior control continue to mature through late adolescence” and “(a)s compared to adults, juveniles have a lack of maturity and an underdeveloped sense of responsibility. . . . Juveniles are more capable of change than are adults, and their actions are less likely to be evidence of irretrievably depraved character’ than are the actions of adults,” quoting Roper v Simmons, 543 US 551, 569, 570 (2005); see also People v Rudolph, 21 NY3d 506]).  People v Crawford, 2014 NY Slip Op 05364, 1st Dept 7-17-14

 

You might also like
THE NYC ADMINISTRATIVE RULES PLACING CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS ON EXPRESSIVE MATTER VENDORS IN CITY PARKS ARE VALID AND ENFORCEABLE (FIRST DEPT).
HANDCUFFING THE DEFENDANT PENDING IDENTIFICATION BY THE UNDERCOVER OFFICER AMOUNTED AN ARREST WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE, MOTION TO SUPPRESS SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FIRST DEPT).
DEFENDANT BUILDING OWNER AND MANAGER WERE ENTITLED TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE UNDER THE STORM-IN-PROGRESS DOCTRINE, 18 INCHES OF SNOW HAD FALLEN LESS THAN TWO HOURS BEFORE; PLAINTIFF SLIPPED AND FELL ON WATER ON STAIRS IN THE LOBBY; PLAINTIFF’S OWN TESTIMONY DEMONSTRATED DEFENDANTS DID NOT HAVE CONSTRUCTIVE NOTICE OF THE CONDITION (FIRST DEPT).
Pat-Down Search Justified by the Objective Existence of Probable Cause to Arrest, Even Though the Officer Did Not Intend to Arrest at the Time of the Search.
RESPONDENT CITY DID NOT DEMONSTRATE THE FOIL REQUEST WOULD INTERFERE WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT OR JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS OR WOULD REVEAL A CONFIDENTIAL SOURCE; MATTER REMITTED FOR IN CAMERA REVIEW TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE FOIL REQUEST WAS PROTECTED BY THE INTER- OR INTRA- AGENCY MATERIALS EXEMPTION (FIRST DEPT).
There Is No “Imminent Litigation” Requirement for the Application of the “Common-Interest Privilege”—Documents Generated During Merger Negotiations Among Two Corporations and Their Counsel May, Therefore, Be Protected by the Privilege, Which Is an Exception to the Rule that the Presence of a Third Party at a Communication Between Counsel and Client Destroys the Privilege
THE COMPLAINT, STEMMING FROM A FALL OFF A STRETCHER WHILE BEING POSITIONED FOR AN X-RAY, SOUNDED IN MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, NOT NEGLIGENCE, AND WAS THEREFORE UNTIMELY, PROPOSED NEGLIGENT HIRING CAUSE OF ACTION COULD NOT BE ADDED UNDER THE RELATION BACK DOCTRINE (FIRST DEPT).
AN ESCAPE LADDER BOLTED TO THE CEILING OF A PERSONNEL HOIST DETACHED AND FELL ON PLAINTIFF; PLAITIFF WAS ENTITLED TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE LABOR LAW 240(1) CAUSE OF ACTION (FIRST DEPT). ​

Categories

Sign Up for the Mailing List to Be Notified When the Site Is Updated.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2026 New York Appellate Digest, Inc.
Site by CurlyHost | Privacy Policy

Equitable Estoppel Against NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)... Defamation Action Brought by Judge Against a Reporter Properly Dismissed—Although...