Campaign

No New Youth Prisons

What you need to know

Connecticut is currently planning to build a new locked youth facility.That approach moves the state backward. If you agree, sign our petition.

Data

908

Kids in detention centers in CT, as of 2024

Kids in locked REGIONS facilities in CT, as of 2024

Locked REGIONS facilities operating as of 2026

Background

We fought to close one of Connecticut’s last youth prisons in 2018. The state has dramatically reduced youth incarceration since, but building new locked facilities will set us back.

The locked facilities Connecticut plans on building are called REGIONS, which stands for Re-Entry, Goal-oriented, Individualized Opportunity to Nurture Success. These facilities risk recreating an approach that’s already failed, at a time when conditions inside existing state facilities continue to deteriorate.

Instead of spending an estimated $12 million expanding confinement, Connecticut should invest those funds in alternatives to incarceration.

With access to mental health care, restorative justice programs, and other community-based supports, kids can be kids close to home.

Use Your Voice

Here’s how you can get involved in our campaign to oppose the creation of more locked youth facilities in Connecticut.

Learn more about testifying

How to Take Action

Sign the Petition

Add your name and tell Connecticut: No new locked facilities for young people.

Sign the petition

Contact Lawmakers

Call or email your legislators and urge them to reject new youth facilities and invest in community-based alternatives instead.

Find your legislator

Join the Conversation

We want to hear from you. Share your perspective, experience, and ideas for how Connecticut can support young people in their communities.

Contact CTJA

Updates

March 12, 2026

CT Mirror: Plan for juvenile facility in Tolland scrapped after outcry

Connecticut’s Judicial Branch canceled plans to open a 20-bed juvenile detention facility, a plan that had sparked fierce opposition from local officials.

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