Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Alicia Barraza

Alicia Barraza

  • One 'Raise the Age' Story at Center of Push for Legislative Action

    Cuomo prison raise the age

    Cuomo at The Greene Correctional Facility (photo: Governor's Office via flickr)


    In the Summer of 2010, Benjamin Van Zandt was a smart, quiet 17-year-old; an excellent student enrolled in AP classes, a math whiz and violin player, and on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout. Van Zandt was a resident of Selkirk, a small town just outside Albany known for its rail yards and manufacturing plants.

    Only four years

    ...