FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT
March 8, 2021 Ashlee Niedospial
570.778.5916 ashlee@narrative-project.com
CTJJA Announces New Name, Logo and Team Members, Reaffirms Commitment To Advancing Justice in the Juvenile and Adult Justice Systems
Bridgeport, CT (March 8, 2021) – The Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance (CTJJA), a youth/adult partnership working to end the criminalization of youth, today announced a rebrand to reflect the organization’s growth and commitment to improving conditions for system-involved youth, while disrupting and dismantling the pathways that funnel children and youth into the justice systems. As part of the extensive rebrand, the organization, now known as the Connecticut Justice Alliance (CTJA / the Alliance) unveiled a new logo and website. The announcement was made in an email released earlier today to the organization's followers. The Connecticut Justice Alliance cited the changed perceptions and negative connotations associated with the word “juvenile” as the factor that prompted the changes. “The language we use matters, and juvenile has grown to become a word only associated with negatives and assumptions of guilt,” said Christina Quaranta, Executive Director of CTJA. “So, we’ve decided to drop the juvenile from our name and focus on the justice.” “The new name is an example of CTJA’s continued commitment to progressive and inclusive policy and thought,” said Daniel W. Rezende, CTJA Steering Committee Member and President & Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Junior Republic, “and a more accurate reflection of the organization’s holistic approach to systemic change and reform. A young person does not need to be directly involved in the justice system to be impacted by it.” Alongside the new name and brand, the announcement also unveiled:
CTJA will be expanding its advocacy to focus on youth through 24 years of age
CTJA will increase collaboration with organizations outside the juvenile justice field to address the root causes of justice-system involvement
Six new Justice Advisors have joined the CTJA team. The Justice Advisors are youth and young adults over the age of 18 with first or second-hand justice system experience.
"CTJJA has relentlessly pursued the achievement of racial and ethnic justice, in addition to the decriminalization of CT’s young people.," said Preston C. Tisdale, Board President of RYASAP, CTJA Fiscal Sponsor, and Attorney at Law at Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder. "The organization’s legacy of exceptional leadership remains constant and its new name, CT Justice Alliance, truly represents the breadth of the organization’s evolution, as one of CT’s advocacy champions." “Juvenile is a negative word and calling a young person a juvenile is demeaning. These young people are youth first,” said Ronnie Henderson, a Justice Advisor with CTJA. “We’re about justice and that means justice for everyone and most importantly our young people.” The full announcement can be viewed here.
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About the Connecticut Justice Alliance
The Connecticut Justice Alliance (formerly known as the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance) is a youth/adult partnership working to end the criminalization of youth. The Alliance works to disrupt and dismantle the pathways that funnel children and youth into the juvenile justice system by using organizing, advocacy, and policy tools to protect the rights, futures, and well-being of potentially, currently, and formerly incarcerated youth, while also ensuring youth who are detained, incarcerated, and involved in the courts and legal systems receive safe, fair, and dignified treatment.