FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 29, 2022
CONTACT
Jerrod Ferrari Jerrod@narrative-project.com 203.963.9224
Connecticut Justice Alliance buys billboards in Hartford and Bridgeport, radio ads to push back on myths of youth incarceration
Bridgeport, CT — The Connecticut Justice Alliance has launched a multi-tiered advertising campaign to push back on the narrative that Connecticut youth should be locked up, rather than funding be directed toward addressing the root causes leading to youth incarceration. The Connecticut Justice Alliance (CTJA) aims to increase awareness by highlighting the inequities in proposed and existing laws and initiatives, through the use of billboards in Hartford and Bridgeport, a radio campaign discussing brain development at a young age, and a series of web ads. The 30-day billboard campaign is set to launch on March 28 and the radio and web ad portions of the push have already launched. To listen to the audio and view the billboard content, see here. “The many positive and impactful steps the state has taken in previous years to end the criminalization of youth must not be unraveled,” said CTJA Executive Director Christina Quaranta. “Policies that further criminalize youth are racist at the root. Locking up children for a few votes at the polls in November is shameful.” Recently released data show that car theft numbers in Connecticut have begun to decline to historic low levels, after witnessing a slight surge during the height of the pandemic. “To roll back or make new laws targeting our state’s youth that do nothing for the long-term health of our Black and Brown communities would be a horrible mistake, and based on misleading data,” said Iliana Pujols, Policy Director at CTJA. “Politicians need to be focused on addressing the root issues affecting crime in our communities.” CTJA believes that no one reform will be able to fully address the many inequities present in our current system, but our state must move with urgency to invest in the futures of minority youth and disadvantaged communities by beginning to address those injustices. The radio ad, which is airing on Hot 93.7, discusses how the development of the brain is not complete until a person is 25 years old. “The prefrontal lobe, the lobe that controls decision making, isn’t fully developed until the age of 25. Leaving to question why an incarceration is an option for behavior youth will likely grow out of,” reads the ad. Billboard and web messaging include “What if your child was 1000 percent more likely to be locked up *White kids aren’t” and “Connecticut arrests 11-year-olds *Especially if they aren’t white.”
The campaign comes after a long judiciary committee on Monday, March 14 where CTJA testified on multiple bills including SB 365, SB 387, and SB 382. See here to watch each of their testimonies.
Members of CTJA are available to discuss this campaign and the many issues they are highlighting this Legislative session.
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ABOUT THE CONNECTICUT JUSTICE ALLIANCE The Connecticut Justice Alliance (CTJA) 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. CTJA was formerly known as the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance.