After six years on the job, Connecticut’s 5th District Representative Elizabeth Esty is leaving Congress. This hour we sit down with the outgoing congresswoman as she reflects on her time in the House of Representatives.
Also, two violent incidents in Wethersfield have drawn attention to juveniles involved in car thefts across Connecticut. Police in some towns have argued that the prevalence of these crimes are a result of recent changes to state juvenile justice laws.
We hear from both sides, and we want to hear from you.
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GUESTS:
- Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty - Outgoing U.S. Representative for Connecticut's 5th Congressional District (@RepEsty)
- James Cetran - Wethersfield Police Chief
- Leon Smith - Director of the Racial Justice Project for the Connecticut-based Center for Children’s Advocacy (@Leon_Esq)
READING LIST:
CT Mirror: Esty prepares to leave Congress — and politics (December 2018) – “Esty has represented the 5th district for six years – all that time as a member of the minority party in the U.S. House. She is leaving just as Democrats seize control of that chamber, which would have boosted her chances to advance gun control and other issues on her agenda.”
Hartford Courant: Juvenile justice advocates say harsher penalties aren't the answer for repeat offenders (December 2018) – “’Put a kid in detention for two weeks and nothing is different except they are more angry,’ [Abby] Anderson said. ‘We have to address these things in more meaningful ways. I think one of our frustrations is that because of funding cuts, the middle of the system of the juvenile justice system has shrunk.’”
Connecticut Public Radio: Chief State's Attorney: Juvenile Offenders Are Taking Advantage Of Reforms (September 2017) – “Kevin Kane said he agrees with the general principles of reform, including raising the age at which young people are automatically treated as adults in the system. But he said there needs to be more discretion on detaining juveniles who may be a danger to the public, and on potentially sending them into adult court if the case warrants.”
Chion Wolf contributed to this show.
