Youth service officers: We are not abusing kids in jail
A state investigation that uncovered improper use of restraint and seclusion at Connecticut’s juvenile correction facilities left out one important element, front line staff members say: their voices....
View ArticleMalloy: Raise the age for juvenile justice system to 20
In a major policy speech Friday at a criminal-justice symposium, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy proposed overhauling Connecticut's bail system and making the state the first in the U.S. to treat defendants as...
View ArticleYouth incarceration down; obstacles remain for some discharges
Changes in sentencing policies for young offenders mean fewer inmates than ever are living at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School, though several youths on any given day remain locked up because...
View ArticleClose juvenile jails? Legislators leave it up to the governor
Democratic legislators Tuesday retreated from a plan to move legislatively toward closing the controversial state-run jail for young offenders and decided to leave that decision up to Gov. Dannel P....
View ArticleAt Harvard, hints of what Malloy intends on justice reform
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is to present details on his plans for criminal justice reform Thursday in Hartford, but he shared his thoughts on bail reform and treating criminal defendants...
View ArticleMalloy dubs bail, sentencing reforms as ‘Second Chance 2.0’
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy came to the Citadel of Love, a black church in the North End of Hartford, on Thursday to roll out “Second Chance 2.0,” a second round of proposals to negate the permanence of...
View ArticleJuvenile justice reform in CT: 5 things to know
A tidal wave of change is headed for the state's juvenile justice system. Here are 5 things to know about the coming changes.
View ArticleMalloy launches a last try for ‘Second Chance 2.0’ in 2016
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy stepped up efforts Monday to promote bail and juvenile justice reforms that the administration is struggling to pass in special session, while House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey,...
View ArticleMalloy zings GOP on bail reform, gets counter from Fasano
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the Connecticut leader of the NAACP pushed back Monday at Republican opposition to Malloy’s proposed bail reforms, casting them as an overdue blow for racial and economic...
View ArticleAt CT’s juvenile jail, a spike in staff injuries
Updated at 7:30 a.m. The number of youth incarcerated at the state's controversial jail for juvenile offenders may have reached a record low, but the number of staff being injured in assaults or while...
View ArticleDCF pivots to a new strategy to keep juveniles out of jail
The new strategy aims to keep youths – unless they are deemed a risk to the public – out of juvenile jail and in a less-restrictive group home or with their families, with appropriate support services.
View ArticleMalloy’s new pitch for bail and juvenile justice reforms
A year after legislators rebuffed him, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is back with revised versions of proposals that would reform Connecticut’s bail system and expand the jurisdiction of its juvenile courts,...
View ArticleExpelled students can no longer be sent home with homework and no plan
State law requires local education officials to provide expelled students with an “alternative educational opportunity during the period of expulsion," but has been silent on what the quality of that...
View ArticleMalloy pushes one more time to expand juvenile court jurisdiction
“We know that if we can avoid exposing young adults who have committed less serious crimes to the adult criminal justice system, the less likely they are to reoffend or ultimately become incarcerated,”...
View ArticleThe real reason to close the Connecticut Juvenile Training School
The Connecticut Juvenile Training School and the Pueblo Unit should close. Institutions of this sort, by their very nature, inevitably depersonalize children, engender abuse and fail to address public...
View ArticleConsider an independent juvenile justice authority for Connecticut
Before "raising the age" again, the State of Connecticut and its key justice agencies -- DCF, DOC and the Judicial Branch including the Court Support Services Division -- need to participate in an...
View ArticleCJTS teacher: Juvenile offenders’‘best chance is with us’
In light of Gov. Dannel Malloy’s proposal to "Raise the Age" of juveniles to 20, it is time to recognize once and for all that Connecticut’s juvenile delinquent offenders should be sent to the...
View ArticleSecret trials for CT 20-somethings would be unconstitutional
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the General Assembly are to be commended for their 2015 “Second Chance Society” legislation, reversing racist laws that filled our jails with nonviolent drug users, most of...
View ArticleIndividualized treatment for Connecticut children is the goal
For too long the debate over the care of children and young adults in Connecticut with behavioral health needs, developmental disabilities or those in the juvenile justice system has been centered on...
View ArticleRecognize or repurpose CT Juvenile Training School, don’t close it
Putting children’s needs first means using the Connecticut Juvenile Training School and the Walter G. Cady School as part of the toolbox. It appears that some, including those in positions of advocacy...
View ArticleCJTS teachers lament ‘inhumanity’ of sudden staff layoffs
The following are three statements made by Connecticut Juvenile Training School employees at last week's press conference following layoffs of about one third the staff at the facility.
View ArticleLegislative witnesses hold forth on how old a juvenile should be
After stalling out during the regular legislative season, Gov. Dannel Malloy's proposal for a Second Chance Society is awaiting action by the General Assembly later this week. Among other things, the...
View ArticleBetter outcomes in CT juvenile justice — and potentially savings, too
With the state's new fiscal reality as background, the Children’s League of Connecticut has offered a number of policy based solutions meant to improve the quality of life for youth and families served...
View ArticleTime for adult responsibility at Connecticut Juvenile Training School
At the Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS), workers compensation claims are soaring, mostly because staff is frequently injured putting youth in physical restraints. The Department of Children...
View ArticleRestore a common sense plan to Connecticut Juvenile Justice
The CTMirror story Juvenile Justice in CT: “What’s left after all the cuts” rings loudly in the ears of those of us working in the deep end of the system. The Connecticut Juvenile Training School, and...
View ArticleIs this justice for Aymir Holland?
Nearly all of the ways that the judicial system serves justice are unfair, and it is the poor, underprivileged citizens who are suffering. According to NAACP.org, “African Americans now constitute...
View ArticleConnecticut getting smart on juvenile justice
You don’t teach trigonometry to third graders or spend time helping high school sophomores learn their colors. Educators have always understood that curriculum needs to be appropriate to the student’s...
View ArticleA new approach to Connecticut juvenile justice — with better results
At any given time many children are in the care of Connecticut’s juvenile justice system. Everyone agrees their personal stories are troublesome, but it is also important to understand each story can...
View ArticleChief States Attorney’s views on juvenile justice are ‘out of date’
In an Op-ed published recently, juvenile justice-involved teenagers were referred to as “enterprising and energetic, wild and out of control.” While you’d expect to hear that from a member of Jeff...
View ArticleWhy including emerging adults in CT’s juvenile justice system makes sense
Gov. Dannel Malloy is again proposing that Connecticut become the first state in United States history to include most emerging adults – those ages 18, 19 and 20 – who have committed crimes into its...
View ArticleKids in the juvenile justice system have fallen through budget cracks
In the last minutes of the 2018 legislative session, we got a state budget. Legislators showed commitment and determination in reaching a bi-partisan agreement. The dust hasn’t cleared yet — there is...
View ArticleRepublicans, please speak up against this immoral separation policy
To all Republican elected officials: As members of the party whose leader occupies the White House, you have influence that members of the opposition party do not. I am urging you to speak out against...
View ArticleAn inexcusable and costly failure to fund juvenile review boards
For years, legislators sang the praises of juvenile review boards, because community-based JRBs helped kids succeed more frequently– and more cheaply – than the juvenile justice system. But when the...
View ArticleAfter 22 years, educating incarcerated youth still a challenge
The state started trying to improve education in juvenile detention in 1993. It's still trying.
View ArticleOfficials weigh massive changes in juvenile justice system
State officials will weigh a recommendation to create a new state agency for minors in the juvenile justice system.
View ArticlePrivate providers explain why they haven’t bid on opening secure facilities...
Contracts, funding and risk are among the reasons why almost no providers have bid to open secure programs for Connecticut's most troubled youth.
View ArticleNew report on juvenile justice features potential solutions from kids with...
Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance releases 10 recommendations to make life more equitable for families living in marginalized communities.
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Keep youths out of the justice system, or hold them accountable? Judiciary...
Connecticut’s motor vehicle theft rate dropped by a larger percentage than the national average between 2010 and 2019. Source: DESPP The Judiciary Committee advanced two bills on Thursday that offer...
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On car thefts, Republicans focus on the anecdotal. Democrats emphasize data.
The debate about juvenile crime, while showing differences between the parties in style and substance, is hardly a new one.
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Republicans say crime is out of control. Democrats say it’s not. What do the...
The summer of car thefts entered a new season, with data to fuel the debate about crime sweeping the legislature.
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