Michelle L. Cook

Over the last 15 years, every juvenile justice bill has gone to the Governor’s desk with strong support from members on both sides of the aisle. As we work to respond to the pandemic-driven uptick in car thefts and other criminal activity that all states have experienced, House Democrats have led bipartisan discussions since last summer to develop juvenile justice reforms without undoing our recent progress.

A product of these discussion is House Bill 5417, which the Connecticut General Assembly's Judiciary Committee voted overwhelmingly to approve. The proposal would make reasonable adjustments to Connecticut's existing juvenile justice laws without reverting to the failed tough on crime strategies enacted decades ago. This bill would:

• Increase funding to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) to expand Regional Police Task Forces devoted to motor vehicle crimes. (Appropriates money for regional crime reduction strategies.)
• Work with the Judicial Branch to speed up juvenile arraignments.
• Provide additional funding to the Judicial Branch for juvenile probation flex funding accounts to get youth on probation into afterschool, sports, or job training programs.
• Require GPS monitoring for repeat juvenile offenders.
• Grow Connecticut's REGIONS Programs by allocating funding to Juvenile Justice Outreach Services.
• Provide flexibility with the 6-hour hold at a community correctional center or lock-up if an arresting officer is in the process of seeking a detention order.

H.B. 5417 is smart on crime, includes provisions to address some of the challenges law enforcement face when attempting to solve a crime, and invests in community-based programs to reduce recidivism. We negotiated with our Republican partners to establish a training program for police officers on when to apply for and issue a detention order, to require judges who decline a detention order to articulate in writing why the order was declined, and redefine car theft in Connecticut.
 
As the committee and legislative leaders developed the proposal, House Democrats stood in firm opposition to Republican efforts to permit the transfer of juveniles to adult court and reopen a centralized juvenile jail. There is a trove of data that demonstrates these approaches to crime are detrimental to our communities. As we work to address juvenile crime in our state, we cannot fall back on the reactionary measures of our past.
 
The House and Senate must vote on the proposal before it goes to the governor's desk for consideration.