Connecticut lawmakers weigh bills to address crimes committed by children and teens

State lawmakers are considering a number of bills this year that would change the way children and teens are treated by the criminal justice system.

During a lengthy public hearing Monday, the legislature’s judiciary committee heard testimony on several of the measures. They include:

Senate Bill 16

This omnibus criminal justice measure, proposed by Gov. Ned Lamont, has several components. It would give police access to arrest records of cases of involving juveniles from the past 90 days.

It would also permit the police to detain a juvenile for up to eight hours — from the current limit of six — if an officer is waiting for a judge to sign an order of detention or if the officer is actively engaged in contacting the juvenile’s parents or guardian.

The bill classifies as serious offenses charges including failing to stop a motor vehicle when signaled, evading responsibility leading to death or a serious injury, and second-degree burglary. Additionally, a second violation of auto theft would be considered a serious offense.

If approved, the bill would also place children arrested for auto theft to be placed under electronic monitoring if it wasn’t their first offense.

The bill also includes several “common sense” gun-control proposals that will enhance public safety, James Rovella, commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, told the committee.

House Bill 5418

This proposal, crafted by the Republican caucus in the House of Representatives, has some similar provisions to Lamont’s proposal. But it contains several significant differences. Chief among them: It would allow 13- and 14-year-olds charged with certain violent crimes to be handled by criminal courts, not the juvenile justice system.

Senate Bill 365

Proposed by Sen. Kevin Kelly, the Republican leader in the state Senate, this measure would also allow juvenile cases involving 14-year-olds charged with certain violent offenses to be transferred to the criminal courts. This bill also allows GPS monitoring of juveniles charged with violent crimes.

During the hearing, Marisa Halm, an attorney and the director of the Youth Justice Project at Center for Children’s Advocacy, told lawmakers that placing juvenile offenders in a criminal court system meant for adults results in a worse outcome both for the offender and for society.

“Making these blanket changes will not serve the vast majority of youth,” Halm said. “They’re going to actually do worse.”

Rep. Craig Fishbein, a Republican from Wallingford, disagreed.

“I understand that some people don’t want any kids to go to jail no matter what, but at some point somebody’s got to say ‘what you’re doing is wrong’ and do something about it,” he said.

Rep. Toni Walker, a Democrat from New Haven, cited research that shows teenagers handled by the juvenile justice system are less likely to become repeat offenders than those prosecuted in the criminal court.

“When children go to a children’s facility ... the percentage of recidivism is extremely low compared with adults,” Walker said. “Because when they’re going into adult prisons and adult courts, they are being exposed to opportunities and things that are far worse than what they have probably done.”

Daniela Altimari can be reached at daltimari@courant.com