Albany, NY – In response to the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court’s ruling that Marquis Dixon should have been tried as a youthful offender instead of as an adult, Cessie Alfonso, a board member of the Capital District Chapter of Citizen Action of New York, said:
“Marquis Dixon’s initial sentence of 9 years in prison was wildly excessive and simply unconscionable. We applaud the court for recognizing this injustice and reconciling it. But, Marquis should have never had to face a fight like this. Children should not be tried as adults, period. With every day that New York State’s leaders wait to pass Raise the Age legislation, more children’s lives are destroyed, children who are disproportionately children of color. We congratulate CAAMI and all the activists who fought so hard on Marquis‘ behalf and we will continue to fight alongside them for reform.”
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