16 and 17-year-olds charged with misdemeanors under the penal law are considered Juvenile Delinquents and their cases are decided in the Family Court. Scientific research has shown that prosecuting and placing children in the adult criminal justice system does not work. RTA changed the age of criminal responsibility to: Prior to RTA, New York was one of two remaining states to hold 16 year-olds criminally responsible. New York’s Raise the Age (RTA) legislation changed the age that a child can be prosecuted as an adult to 18 years of age in criminal cases in New York State.