March 22, 2019

Juvenile Justice Proposals Set for Public Hearing on Monday, March 25

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State Representative Craig Fishbein (R-90) announced that this coming Monday, March 25, the legislature’s Judiciary Committee will hold a public hearing on several juvenile justice proposals, including legislation that would allow diversionary programs instead of jail time and victim statements before convicted criminals are released on probation or released from incarceration.

Three of the more important proposals to be discussed on Monday include:

S.B. 504 – An Act Concerning the Suspension of Delinquency Proceedings for Treatment or Other Services in Motor Vehicle Theft or Misuse Cases and Concerning Detention of Juveniles – would divert children in motor vehicle theft or misuse delinquency cases to treatment or other programs and modify the grounds under which a child may be detained.

H.B. 7314 – An Act Concerning a Crime Victim’s participatory Rights in a Violation of Probation or Conditional Discharge Hearing – would ensure that a crime victim has participatory rights in any hearing concerning a probation violation or conditional discharge involving the person who committed the criminal act.

H.B. 7387 – An Act Considering the Discretionary Transfer of Juveniles to the Regular Criminal Docket – would provide that completion of a class or program specified by the court in the case of a juvenile delinquency case subject to discretionary transfer to the regular criminal docket may be a positive factor for the court to consider when balancing the best interest of the child and the public when determining whether the case should remain on the docket for juvenile matters.

“I have concerns that some of the proposals being discussed on Monday will greatly reduce or eliminate the criminal justice system’s ability to hold offenders accountable for their actions,” Rep. Fishbein said. “Diversionary programs have a valid place in our justice system but it’s important to make certain that those who are admitted into such programs will truly benefit and are not using the system to escape culpability for knowingly and openly breaking the law.”

The Judiciary Committee public hearing will take place on Monday, March 25, 2019 at 10:00 A.M. in Room 2C of the LOB.

If you would like to testify: Public speaker order will be determined by a lottery system, with lottery numbers drawn from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in Room 2500 of the LOB. Speakers arriving after the completion of the lottery will have their names placed at the end of the speaker list. Please submit 50 copies of written testimony to the Committee staff any time prior but no later than 9:00 a.m., in Room 2500. Testimony received after the designated time may not be distributed until after the hearing. Please email written testimony in Word or PDF format to JUDtestimony@cga.ct.gov. Testimony should clearly state testifier name and related bills. The first hour of the hearing is reserved for Legislators, Constitutional Officers, State Agency Heads and Chief Elected Municipal Officials. Speakers will be limited to three minutes of testimony. All public hearing testimony, written and spoken, is public information. As such, it may be made available on the Judiciary Committee’s website and indexed by internet search engines.