Connecticut is in the process of overhauling its juvenile justice system. Plans to close the state’s juvenile jail in Middletown are underway and legislators are looking to replace it with a more effective system. To help find solutions, a new report has been created from the perspective of delinquent youth.
Young people who’ve experienced the juvenile justice system know firsthand what doesn’t work. But the bigger question is, what do they need to succeed?
The Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance spoke with young people who’ve been in the system to get their perspective. They produced a report called Walk in Our Shoes: Youth Share their Ideas for Changing Connecticut’s Juvenile Justice System.
Lara Herscovitch, Deputy Director of the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance, appeared on WNPR's Where We Live to talk about the report's findings.
"They talked about prevention and investing in their own communities," Herscovitch said. "They were really shocked to find out how much it costs to run the Connecticut Juvenile Training School."
Herscovitch said when they looked at the roughly $30 million annual cost of running the facility, the young people they spoke with had better ideas.
“We want that money to invest in our housing," Herscovitch said, paraphrasing the report's findings, "In community revitalization, in helping us find jobs, in having apprenticeship type programs and skill-building in neighborhood programs."
Herscovitch said the conversation also included support for the parents of these kids, who are often struggling with basic needs. She related a story as an example.
“There was a young man in a city in Connecticut. He did really well in juvenile review board," Herscovitch said. "He went back to school. He won a little bit of money, and this was a stipend to reward him for participating in the program successfully and so on. And they said: what are you going to spend the money on? What’s the treat that you’re going to buy yourself? And his answer was: we’re going to spend it on doing laundry.”
One of the major goals of the alliance, Herscovitch said, is to push the pendulum back toward a healthier, less expensive system that respects the potential of young people.
