FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2022
CONTACT
Jerrod Ferrari Jerrod@narrative-project.com 203.963.9224
BRIDGEPORT, CT - In response to Connecticut’s House of Representatives passing HB5417, a bill that allegedly addresses “juvenile crime,” but in many ways makes it easier to track and detain our state’s most vulnerable residents, CTJA Executive Director Christina Quaranta issued the following statement urging Connecticut’s Senate to reject the bill: “As we said before this Legislative Session began, any bill that supposedly looks to address crime is just an election-year ploy that only serves to lock up Connecticut’s children, especially those that are Black and Brown,” said CTJA Executive Director Christina Quaranta. “We need to be addressing the root causes of the problems in our communities. These are children in crisis who need our support. They don’t need to be thrown into the adult carceral system. We need to be addressing poverty, lack of access to education, and lack of access to jobs. Dated, misleading crime stats are being used as the reason to write legislation that locks up our children. We are seeing that data now return to pre-pandemic, historically low numbers. Connecticut has already learned the solution to our state’s issues is not to lock up children and put more police on the streets. We implore the Senate to vote no on HB5417, or we will be back at the table again shortly to discuss why so many more children are in crisis.”
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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.
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