CT’s minimum arrest age should increase to 14, advocates say
A prominent youth justice organization in Connecticut is calling on lawmakers to increase the minimum age of arrest from 10 to 14 during next year’s legislative session.
The Connecticut Justice Alliance made the call during a virtual press conference on Monday, which was announced as part of the group’s legislative priorities for 2024. The current minimum age of arrest — despite an increase from 7 to 10 as recent as 2021 — “is still too low and needs to be raised,” said Christina Quaranta, the policy organization’s executive director.
“If a child is committing a crime at that age, it’s likely that they have a huge unmet need that needs to be addressed,” said Quaranta, adding that the question people should ask is, “Where do we need to improve our behavioral health and mental health system for young people and the resources that are available for them and their families?”
