Longtime Chief of City Law Department’s Family Division Will Serve as Executive Deputy Commissioner of ACS Division of Youth and Family Justice

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and ACS Commissioner John B. Mattingly today, February 4,  announced the appointment of Laurence E. Busching, who currently serves as Chief of the Family Court Division for the New York City Law Department, as Executive Deputy Commissioner of the new Division of Youth and Family Justice at the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). In his State of the City speech last month, the Mayor announced that the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) will be merged into Children’s Services to expand interventions for juvenile offenders as part of a citywide campaign to help youth at risk. 

Mr. Busching will assume his new position on March 1st. He will oversee all of DJJ’s programs that include the custody and care of juveniles who are involved in the City’s juvenile justice system. He will also be responsible for Children’s Services’ Juvenile Justice Initiative (JJI), and the ACS-operated Persons In Need of Supervision (PINS) program – for youth under 18 who are beyond the lawful control of a parent.  

“In making this appointment, we’re putting the New Yorker who is best-suited to lead this critical effort for our City’s public safety and troubled youth,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “As the City's chief prosecutor of juvenile delinquency cases, Larry Busching has already proven his expertise and commitment to ensuring the public’s safety while at the same time doing everything possible to help these young people avoid re-offending. He is dedicated to making sure these young people are treated fairly, and encouraged to do better for themselves and their families.”

“We believe that Larry Busching is the best person in the City to help bring together these two agencies with similar missions but different histories,” said Commissioner Mattingly. “Our new Division of Youth and Family Justice will be a strong team under his leadership, dedicated to protecting children, strengthening families, and keeping our neighborhoods safe.”

“I am grateful to Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Mattingly for this opportunity to take our successful juvenile justice reform efforts to the next level. Using data to measure safety risks and expanding services for at-risk youth will improve public safety and children's lives now and in the future,” Mr. Busching said.

“This integration with Larry’s guidance will produce greater gains neighborhoods safety while we put young people back on the right track and out of harmful systems that compromise their lives and the public’s safety,” Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda I. Gibbs said.

The City’s integration of juvenile justice and child welfare programs is designed to enhance public safety by decreasing the rate of recidivism for juvenile offenders, a rate that is traditionally higher among juveniles than adult criminals. The integration is also expected to produce cost savings and operational efficiencies by combining two separate agencies that otherwise serve overlapping constituencies. Data-sharing will make possible long-term planning for youth and their families as soon as they enter the juvenile justice system, enabling a focused strategy to place youth on the path toward school, work, and successful adulthood.  

As Chief of the Family Court Division of the New York City Law Department since January, 2005, Mr. Busching has been responsible for the prosecution of juveniles throughout New York City as well as for the enforcement of interstate child support orders. These matters specifically include the prosecution of juvenile crime with a focus on criminal rehabilitation.  He also directs and administers a division comprising 90 attorneys and a support staff of 60. 

From 1990-2004, Mr. Busching served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. In 2004, he was made Chief of the Family Violence and Child Abuse Bureau, where he supervised the investigation and prosecution of thousands of domestic violence and child abuse cases annually. He also served as Chair of the state District Attorneys Association’s committee on sex crimes and family violence legislation.