Malloy, at UNH, pitches juvenile justice reforms

WEST HAVEN — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has submitted two proposed legislative bills that would raise the age of young people protected by juvenile and “youthful offender” status from 18 to 21, he announced Tuesday at University of New Haven.

The proposals are part of a broader effort to steer young people out of the prison system and smooth the way for them to better recover from youthful mistakes that might otherwise have a lasting, negative effect on their lives, Malloy said at a news conference in the entry hall of the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science.

“The bottom line is, young people make mistakes,” Malloy said. “Treating them as adults in the criminal justice system is a disservice to them and to our society, impedes their potential, and opens them up to a life of crime instead of a life of learning.

“Through this legislation, we’re offering our young people who have made mistakes a greater chance at a decent and productive life,” he said.

“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

“Treating them as adults in the criminal justice system is a disservice.”

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy

or ultimately become incarcerated,” Malloy said.

“We need to stop treating folks this way,” Malloy said

The first bill, known as “raise the age,” expands the age of the juvenile justice system’s jurisdiction up to age 21 by July 2021, Malloy said. It would create a new category within the jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system for individuals between the ages of 18 and 20, called “young adults.”

Young adults would fall under juvenile justice jurisdiction in most circumstances, and, where appropriate, would benefit from the protections and services provided by the state’s juvenile justice system.

The second bill would expand “youthful offender” status from low-risk young adults up to age 17 to young adults up to age 21, keeping their names out of the media and online databases of pending cases. Under current law, certain low-risk, young adults age 17 and under who are transferred to adult court have the opportunity to plead guilty to the charge of being a “youthful offender” instead of to the original charge.

The purpose would be to prevent more people “from having permanent and lifealtering consequences from impulsive and reckless behavior typical of their age group,” according to a news release the governor’s office issued.

Youthful offender status is not now available, and would not be available, to

individuals charged with the most serious crimes, including Class A felonies, sexual assault and rape, Malloy said.

Both bills are scheduled to receive public hearings in the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

Malloy was joined by University of New Haven President Steven H. Kaplan; William Carbone, director of the university’s Tow Youth Justice Institute; Department of Correction Commissioner Scott Semple; Suffolk County, Mass. Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins, and Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance Executive Director Abby Anderson.

Kaplan said the youth justice system in Connecticut “has become a national model” and “the reforms that have been instituted under the governor’s leadership over the past eight years are truly extraordinary.”

“We have seen unparalleled decreases in youth incarceration,” including the upcoming closure of the Connecticut Juvenile Training School in Middletown on July 1, Kaplan said.

Semple thanked Malloy for his leadership and said that because of that leadership, “the state’s youth who are involved in the criminal justice system have a better chance than ever to learn from their transgressions and become productive citizens, rather than career criminals.

“We need to give our young citizens every possible chance to succeed, not to let a youthful indiscretion ruin the promise of one’s future,” he said.

Tompkins said that “we cannot as a nation continue to throw away people and put them behind bars because they may have had a youthful indiscretion.”

Many young people who are now incarcerated might be better served being treated for mental health or substance abuse issues, he said.

“Emerging adults need specialized guidance and strong social networks to support them both behind the walls and in their communities,” Tompkins said. While they must be held accountable, “clearly we need to do so in a more rehabilitative and individualized system.”

The governor’s proposed

changes “are good for public safety, for the state’s budget and for young people and their communities,” Anderson said.

“Giving young people in conflict with the law lifelong stigma and barriers to success does not improve public safety, but hinders it,” she said in the accompanying release.

“We applaud the Malloy administration for knowing that it is time to stop investing in a system that has hurt communities — mostly those of color — and instead time to invest in communities themselves,” Anderson said.