Noble efforts to redirect young lives
We could fill pages — OK, we have filled pages — with details of the many things Connecticut has done wrong, is doing wrong and will do wrong. So it’s worth giving some space to one major thing Connecticut is doing right.
The state is changing lives.
That’s a broad statement, but it really comes down to specific people, quite a few of them.
Connecticut managed to cut arrests of juveniles 57 percent from 2009 to 2017, which has drawn attention from outside of state borders.
The nonprofit, nonpartisan Council of State Governments is collaborating with Connecticut on a task force that will deconstruct the state’s juvenile justice system in hopes of changing even more lives. Nina Salomon, deputy program director for the group’s justice center, said Connecticut was chosen based on its record of reforms in recent years.
The positive outcomes dovetail with former Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s Second Chance Society initiatives, which were shaped by Malloy’s early career as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, N.Y.
No one is worthier of second chances than children,
and the state has been successful in part because it started treating 16- and 17-year-olds as juveniles.
Among the lessons learned is that treating teens as criminals can lock in their futures in the justice system.
The General Assembly recently voted pretty unanimously to raise the age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21, an acknowledgment of how lives can be altered during these vulnerable years. It only makes sense to explore more methods for cutting recidivism and keeping children out of the system.
Which is what the Improving Outcomes for Youth Statewide Task Force is setting out to accomplish. Over the next several months, members will diagram what led to a 69 percent decrease in the number of incarcerated juveniles and try to trace their steps through the system.
The goal is to use the information to direct future spending and to craft legislation for the next General Assembly session in February. A lot of people put considerable effort into writing legislation only to have it bumped to the curb during the frenzy of a session. We encourage lawmakers to see this as a goal that crosses party lines.
Improving results won’t just help children, it can yield financial rewards for taxpayers as well. While daily costs of incarcerating an adult hovers a little lower than $100 a day, the total is about four times that for juveniles. Such funding is better spent on other programs to address traumas that often tilt young lives toward criminal activity.
There are a lot of major players participating in this effort, including Rep. Toni Walker of New Haven, who has been a leader on the issue. Other participants include judges, public defenders and agencies and service providers that deal with juveniles.
We encourage them to ensure there is representation from youth. Some may already be success stories, others may be at risk right now. But they know best about the lives at stake.
Over the next several months, members will diagram what led to a 69 percent decrease in the number of incarcerated juveniles and try to trace their steps through the system.