Bolinsky, House Republican Renew Call for Action of Juvenile Crime Reform

Bolinsky, House Republican Renew Call for Action of Juvenile Crime Reform

HARTFORD — State Rep. Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) joined his colleagues Tuesday in backing a list of legislative proposals to reform the state’s juvenile justice laws and seek accountability for the victims of Connecticut’s summer juvenile crime wave.

During a news conference on the North Steps of the Capitol in Hartford, House Republicans listed over a dozen specific statutory and policy changes they would make, centered around three core principles: prevention, accountability, and rehabilitation.

These proposed reforms include:

• Implementing victim impact panels in juvenile delinquency hearings;
• Electronic monitoring for juveniles arrested while awaiting trial on previous offenses;
• Expedited arraignment for felonies, a sex assault, offense involving use of a firearm;
• Court-ordered Family Support Services intervention at juvenile court arraignments;
• Expanding circumstances in which a matter is automatically transferred to the regular criminal docket, including instances involving a loss of life or use of a firearm;
• Creating a new offense of “larceny of a motor vehicle” not tied to the value of the vehicle.

“These car break-ins and thefts are intensifying putting some homeowners into life-threatening situations,” said Rep. Bolinsky, who serves as an Assistant Republican Leader in the House. “Newtowners deserve an up-or-down vote on these common sense, bi-partisan proposals in a special session before the end of this summer, and I encourage all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who are still waiting to sign our petition to get off the sidelines and help us protect the residents of this state.”

State Rep. Jill Barry (D- Glastonbury) who spoke at the Tuesday press conference and has had many of these juvenile crimes committed in her district said, “This is not party issue, this is a public safety issue, and I stand with my community.”

Juvenile crime was a focus for House Republicans headed into the 2021 legislative session. The session, however, ended without substantial progress in reforming juvenile justice laws.

More proposals, with greater detail, can be found at www.stopcarthefts.com