Rep. Cheeseman Supports Juvenile Justice Reform Legislation

HARTFORD – State Representative Holly Cheeseman (R-37) voted in favor of HB 5417 “An Act Concerning Juvenile Justice and Services, Firearms Background Checks, and Larceny of a Motor Vehicle.” Reforms in the legislation include expedited arraignment and services for juvenile offenders, electronic monitoring in certain circumstances, expanded juvenile crime reduction programs.

“Juvenile offenders have increasingly been at the center of dramatic and dangerous crimes,” said Rep. Cheeseman. “These reforms are necessary to improve public safety and reduce the crimes that have dominated headlines across the state.”

Juvenile justice provisions in the bill would;

• Require arraignments within 5 days and assessment for services within two weeks.
• Require judges to articulate the reason for denying an application for detention within 48 hours.
• Allow for GPS tracking of a juvenile arrested for a second or subsequent offense involving a motor vehicle or property.
• Expand the juvenile six hour hold limit by two hours when an officer is attempting to contact a parent/guardian.
• Expand the special juvenile probation and serious crime docket.

Other provisions would improve information sharing and allow officers to access the past 90 days of juvenile records at the point of stop. Additionally, motor vehicle larceny statutes would be replaced with a new standalone charge of larceny of a motor vehicle instead of a graduated scale based on the value of the vehicle and not subject to escalating penalties.

Firearms background check reforms would require the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection to inform the appropriate local official if a resident has failed a firearm background check.

“Additional resources and access to diversionary programs will help our state steer juvenile offenders towards a better future,” concluded Rep. Cheeseman.

The measure was passed by the House of Representatives 129-17 and awaits further action in the State Senate before the end of the Legislative Session on May 4^th. The bill can be tracked using the General Assembly website at www.cga.ct.gov.