N.Y. Fam. Ct. Act § 344.1

§ 344.1. Rules of evidence; proof of previous conviction or\ndelinquency finding. 1. If in the course of a juvenile delinquency\nproceeding, any witness, including a respondent, is properly asked\nwhether he was previously convicted of a specified offense and answers\nin the negative or in an equivocal manner, the party adverse to the one\nwho called him may independently prove such conviction. If in response\nto proper inquiry whether he has ever been convicted of any offense the\nwitness answers in the negative or in an equivocal manner, the adverse\nparty may independently prove any previous conviction.\n 2. If a respondent in a juvenile delinquency proceeding, through the\ntestimony of a witness other than respondent called by him, offers\nevidence of his good character, the presentment agency may independently\nprove any previous finding of delinquency of the respondent for a crime\nthe commission of which would tend to negate any character trait or\nquality attributed to the respondent in such witness' testimony.\n