HB 6888, An Act Concerning Juvenile Justice

Among the most vulnerable people who become enmeshed in the criminal legal system are young people under the age of eighteen, who suffer unique harms due to their involvement in the criminal legal system and are more likely to experience even wider racial disparities than exist for adults. While Connecticut has made important improvements in reducing the number of
young people who are incarcerated, it has concurrently worsened racial and ethnic disparities. In 2015, 79 percent of young people who were incarcerated were kids of color, but in 2019, the proportion rose to 84 percent. Young people who are incarcerated experience widespread sexual abuse, worsened mental health outcomes, greater risk of self-harm, significant and often permanent interruption of education, and long-term damage to employment—with little to no corresponding improvement in community safety.