MASSENA -- Mayor Tim Currier is applauding Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive action taking 16- and 17-year-old convicts out of state prisons and placing them in the custody of the Office of Children and Family Services.

Cuomo said in a statement on his webpage that he made the call in light of lawmakers’ failure to reach a deal on his so-called “Raise the Age” proposal.

“Raise the Age” would treat non-violent 16- and 17-year-old offenders as adolescents, not adult, outside of the adult criminal justice system, Currier said.

Currier’s comments came from a statement released Wednesday morning. He said:

“As a former Chief of Police and former co-chairperson for Fight Crime – Invest in Kids, New York, I fully support the Governors action. We have to trust the data, and change the way we deal with adolescents that commit non-violent crimes. Treating them as adults fails them and fails society.

By itself this will not comprehensively change the juvenile system, but it a big piece. As we move these adolescents into OCFS, the state MUST fully fund and make the necessary resources available to ensure we can turn these young offenders into successful members of our society.

As always, I would prefer to see the Assembly, Senate and Governor reach an agreement on any issue, including raise the age, however we have to take the necessary steps that begins the important process of reducing crime, by investing in our future with comprehensive juvenile justice reform. Today the Governor took such a step.”

“Right now 16- and 17-year olds are going to state prisons and that, I believe, is an intolerable situation,” Cuomo said. “I have spent time in prisons and that is not an environment that is suitable for 16- and 17-year olds and let me leave it at that.”