Rep. Nuccio, House Republicans Unveil Juvenile Justice Reforms
HARTFORD — State Rep. Nuccio (R-53) joined her 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.
“We were not at all satisfied with the disappointing lack of progress during the 2021 legislative session, even as we watched more and more innocent bystanders and at-risk kids caught up in a cycle of criminal behaviors enabled by a lack of transparency and accountability in our juvenile justice system,” Rep. Nuccio said. “Most importantly, these proposals represent a significant step towards providing the victims of crime in this state with more of a voice in their pursuit of justice for themselves and their families. That, to me, is the single most valuable outcome if we were to implement these reforms right now.”
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.
Amid a turbulent period of juvenile crime activity across the state — including a car theft spree in Tolland that ended in an armed confrontation with the homeowner and a dangerous crash with a police cruiser— House Republicans petitioned for a special legislative session.
The Republican proposals can be found at www.stopcarthefts.com. Republicans are asking members of the two Democratic legislative caucuses to sign their petition, initiate a special session and begin debate on these proposals.