From the Executive Director’s Desk – Raise the Age: Major Benefits, But Only a Minor Adjustment

On January 1, 16-year-olds finally became part of the juvenile justice system. The first 16-year-old to benefit from the change was arrested after a domestic dispute. In the adult system, the focus would have been on him alone. But because he was processed as a juvenile, his entire family received services to help them deal with the conflicts in their home.

The story is a good illustration of why we fought so hard for Raise the Age. Addressing the root causes of behavior makes a lot more sense that simply branding a child with an adult record and doing little or nothing to prevent recidivism.

You may recall that there were other expected consequences from the reform as well. Raise the Age opponents had predicted an enormous burden would fall on municipalities. But since January 1 we’ve heard nothing from these voices and can find no evidence that Raise the Age is stressing any town or city’s resources. There are no reports of facilities providing inadequate or police being unable to do their jobs. A brief look at the numbers shows us why.

In February, 2010, 268 16-year-olds entered the juvenile justice system. That represents 22 percent of the total new cases month. But keep in mind that the juvenile caseload has been dropping for years because of other improvements, such as the increase in community-based services. In February, 2009, 1056 children entered the juvenile justice system. Even with the addition of 16-year-olds, the February 2010 census is only up 13 percent from the previous year. Anecdotally, we are hearing that 16-year-olds are similar to younger children in the offenses they are charged with and the way they respond to the help offered by the system.

There have been a few logistical hiccups, including questions about processing 16-year-olds who were already involved with the adult system. This is a problem that will literally go away with time, as there won’t be youth who were aged 16 both before and after the law change.

Our experience thus far provides valuable lessons for 2012, when 17-year-olds are due to enter the juvenile system as well. The best thing we can do to ensure that the addition of older youth to the system is manageable is to continue our efforts at prevention and diversion. The juvenile justice system has been steadily shrinking for the past four years. As we get more young people out of the system who don’t belong there, we create more capacity to offer juvenile status to older youth. Ensuring that youth of color are not brought into the system without good cause is one way to do this. Looking for ways to reverse the disturbing increase of in-school arrests is another. Juvenile justice is never about a single issue, because each aspect of the system affects others.

Abby Anderson, Executive Director
Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance