# Regulations on resources, staff trainings, and funding for youth detention programs (10/27/2026)

The New York City Council Committee on Children and Youth held an oversight hearing on secure detention conditions and youth incarceration policies on October 27, 2026. Members and witnesses discussed overcrowding at Horizon and Crossroads, staffing and safety, education and mental-health services, and the need to reduce detention through community-based alternatives. ACS said it had invested an additional $12.2 million in community-based alternatives, and described planned expansion of alternatives-to-detention and re-entry programs. Specific increases included about $344,000 for Families Rising, $400,000 for Exalt, roughly $800,000 for Fortune Society, and $618,000 for the Center for Community Alternatives. The hearing also covered a proposed $18.4 million non-secure detention contract budget. Members sought details on state funding: a $300 million baseline funding sweep affecting multiple agencies, including $194.5 million earmarked for ACS, was discussed, with the relevant spending plans still awaiting approval or in development. No contract award or spending vote was taken at the hearing.

Capital and purchasing items included ACS and the Department of Design and Construction’s expedited Horizon Annex project, planned to add 56 bedrooms, classrooms, trade workshops, a kitchen, dining areas, and a health clinic, with completion targeted for the end of 2027; and two temporary classrooms at Crossroads, which ACS said were expected to open within weeks. ACS also reported procuring handheld and mobile X-ray equipment for contraband detection, with use of body-scanning equipment dependent on state guidance. The committee heard that the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice had extended ATI contracts for one year while preparing a new procurement: programs are expected to come online at the end of FY2028, and an RFP is anticipated a few months before FY2029 begins. Members discussed legislation to create a guide to diversion and detention alternatives, require annual training on identifying sexually exploited youth, and urge access to state Raise the Age funding; the hearing included no votes on these proposals.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure, Public Safety
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 27, 2026

### Sources
- [Regulations on resources, staff trainings, and funding for youth detention programs (10/27/2026)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyji_7JQ4wo) - New York City Council