Invest in Communities First
More than 100,000 young people in Connecticut are at risk of disconnection from education and employment, or already are.
Here’s how we move Connecticut forward.
Make community-based responses the default
Make community-based responses the default
Arrest, court involvement, and confinement should not be the automatic response when a young person makes a mistake. Alternatives to incarceration include Juvenile Review Boards, Youth Diversion Teams, restorative justice practices, and credible messenger mentoring, among others. These alternatives help young people take responsibility, repair harm, and connect with services without being pushed into the legal system.
Fund mental & behavioral health care in every community
Fund mental & behavioral health care in every community
Many young people who enter the legal system needed mental and behavioral health care long before they came to the attention of law enforcement. Mental health support can’t be something young people first have access to in custody. The state must fund community-based services across Connecticut to meet the needs of our kids.
Strengthen schools & keep kids in them
Strengthen schools & keep kids in them
Public schools are where young people spend most of their time and where many are first pulled into the legal system. Connecticut should fully fund its schools and replace exclusionary discipline with trauma-informed, restorative, and culturally responsive practices that keep young people in the classroom.
Stabilize families with housing & economic support
Stabilize families with housing & economic support
Many young people who enter the legal system come from families facing housing instability, economic stress, or both. Connecticut should treat family stability as a core public safety strategy. We need stronger housing supports, family assistance programs, reliable health care, and policies that reduce the stressors that pull young people toward danger.
Build real community safety
Build real community safety
Real community safety is not built in courtrooms or locked facilities. It is built through afterschool programs, mentoring relationships, youth development work, and violence intervention led by people who know their communities.
Learn from & invest in what works
Learn from & invest in what works
Catalyst CT’s restorative justice work & CJR’s Waterbury Credible Messenger program show what transformative justice and accountability over punishment look like in practice. These supports are more effective and more cost-efficient. CTJA is pushing to expand responses like these so they become the standard in every instance.
Future funding decisions should follow the evidence and leadership of the communities most affected, especially historically disinvested communities, youth, and communities of color.
