Juvenile offenders will no longer be held in adult jails and prisons in New York starting Monday, officials say.
The changes took effect on Oct. 1 as part of the 'Raise the Age' law.
The law is set to prevent juvenile offenders and those 16 or younger to be housed in the same facilities as adult offenders.
Up until today, juvenile offenders had been side by side in the same building as adults in the state of New York.
However, if convicted of a felony, current adult sentencing laws still apply and juvenile offenders will remain in facilities with adult inmates.
Young offenders will now be housed in new specialized secure juvenile detention facilities around the city.
Most of the facilities will be operated by the Administration for Children Services and the NYC Department of Corrections.
As part of the new law, all youthful offenders were removed from Rikers Island in the Bronx and placed in a secure juvenile detention center.