State Senator Toni Nathaniel Harp
May 1, 2008
Harp Hails Senate Passage of Juvenile Justice Reform Package
State Senator Toni N. Harp (D-New Haven) today voted with an overwhelming majority of her Senate colleagues to shore up Connecticut's juvenile justice system to accommodate 16 and 17-year old offenders. Last year Senator Harp led the effort to restore youthful offender status to 16 and 17-year olds; this year's bill begins the process to ensure the juvenile justice infrastructure is capable of handling those cases by January 1, 2010.
The Senate vote on the measure was 31--5; Senator Harp said the bill now advances to the House of Representatives for its consideration.
"I have long upheld the state's obligation to provide every opportunity for juvenile offenders to learn from mistakes attributable to youthful indiscretion and offer them a second chance to become productive members of our community," Senator Harp said. "By expanding our juvenile justice system to include 16 and 17-year olds we successfully keep them separated from adult criminals and any negative influence they might have; today's bill addresses the many practical aspects of keeping 16 and 17-year olds in the juvenile system."
Senator Harp said on the Senate floor her initiative is consistent with revised teenaged driving restrictions passed by the Senate just last month in that young people are sometimes prone to errors in judgment. She said the state should respond to criminal behavior by children under 18--unless repeated or excessively violent--with structured programs tailored to that demographic designed to alter criminal behavior rather that strictly punish it.
"We have to remember that 16 and 17-year old children are still trying to grow up, and should have access to community services, a mediation process, and educational opportunities so they realize no one has given up on them yet," Senator Harp said. "With today's vote on this initiative we have important momentum to have a suitable system in place for our launch on January 1, 2010."
"I'm delighted by today's support from so many of my Senate colleagues; I now urge our counterparts in the House to act favorably on this legislation," Senator Harp added.
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