Currently, Connecticut is one of the only states in the nation that prosecutes minors in adult courts and incarcerates them in adult prisons. The Wesleyan Democrats are working to change that.
The Raise the Age Law, which requires that 16 and 17 year olds in Connecticut convicted of minor crimes be prosecuted as juvenile offenders instead of adults, was passed in 2007 and is scheduled to come into effect January 1, 2010. Since the law would require the expansion of the juvenile justice infrastructure, Governor Jodi Rell has proposed to postpone the law’s enactment until January 1, 2012, citing budget constraints. Members of Wesleyan Prisoner Resource and Education Program (WesPrep) helped get the law passed initially, and now the Wesleyan Democrats (WesDems) are working to ensure that it goes into effect.
“Right now if a 16 or 17 year old does something stupid, like takes a candy bar or breaks a window, he’s still tried in adult courts and goes to adult prisons,” said President of WesDems Bradley Spahn ’11. “He’s not going to get rehabilitated, he’s not going to get therapy, they’re not going to address the family context, and he’s much less likely to lead a productive life. It stays in his permanent record so every time he applies for a job he has to reveal that he was convicted. We want to make sure that children are treated like children.”
Spahn pointed out that 16 and 17 year olds who commit violent crimes, such as rape, assault and murder, would still be tried in adult courts. The Raise the Age Law only applies to minors who have committed petty violations. The only other states that charge 16 and 17 year olds as adults are New York and North Carolina. In all other states the age of adulthood with regard to criminal prosecution is 18. Fiscal conservatives oppose the law because of its initial costs, which would go to expanding juvenile detention centers in Connecticut.
“It’s 100 percent a budget problem,” Spahn said. “They say if you add both 16 and 17 year olds to the juvenile justice system, you will have to expand the Connecticut Juvenile Training School, which is in Middletown, so it’s also a local issue.”
WesDems member Nic Yulinksy ’11 argues that although there will be upfront costs to implementing the Raise the Age law, the result will be long-term savings due to lower rates of recidivism.
“In the long-term, juvenile offenders are probably not going to offend again,” Yulinsky said. “It’s the difference between therapy, treatment, food and housing assistance versus keeping them locked up for a while. You’re much less likely to be a repeat offender if you get into the juvenile detention institution.”
According to Spahn, juvenile training schools are much better equipped to house 16 and 17 year olds, because they focus on rehabilitation and tend to reduce rates of recidivism.
“They would have a lot more support services in the juvenile training school,” he said. “The holding facilities are set up differently. It’s more of a family setting, it’s smaller, it’s less violent, and there are more resources like counselors.”
Advocates of the law say that there can be dire consequences to putting 16 and 17 year olds in adult prisons. The website raisetheagect,org cites the story of Daniel Burgos, a 17-year old diagnosed with bipolar disorder, who committed suicide while incarcerated at Manson Youth Institute for a parole violation in 2005. The website states that inmates at Manson can spend up to 23.5 hours a day in solitary confinement, which can exacerbate psychiatric illnesses.
On Monday, March 2 the judiciary committee of the Connecticut General Assembly held a committee hearing for the law. There was also a rally of people in orange T-shirts trying to get lawmakers to enact “Raise the Age” in 2010. A compromise bill would classify 16 year olds as juvenile offenders, but 17 year olds as adults. To get involved in the issue, Spahn and Yulinsky suggest sending a letter to the Connecticut assembly.
“This is an issue that college students can have extra salience on,” Spahn said. “When lawmakers see us involved, they know that this is one group of young people helping another.”
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