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New York Under Pressure For Locking Up Teens In Adult Prisons

New York is one of only two states that still locks up 16- and 17-year-olds in adult prisons. A commission report released this week found that those young people — most of them black and Hispanic — face a high risk of assault and victimization behind bars and an increased risk of suicide. Gov. Andrew Cuomo now says he'll push the legislature to raise the age of adult incarceration to 18, a move that could mean the transfer of more than 800 teenagers out of state correctional facilities.

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Brian Mann is NPR's first national addiction correspondent. He also covers breaking news in the U.S. and around the world.