Juvenile Justice Reform in Connecticut: How Collaboration and Commitment Have Improved Public Safety and Outcomes for Youth

“Perhaps more than any other state, Connecticut has absorbed the growing body of knowledge about youth development, adolescent brain research and delinquency, adopted its lessons, and used the information to fundamentally re-invent its approach to juvenile justice. As a result, Connecticut’s system today is far and away more successful, more humane, and more cost-effective than it was 10 or 20 years ago. This report will describe, dissect, and draw lessons from Connecticut’s striking success in juvenile justice reform for other states and communities seeking similar progress” (p. 1). Sections of this report include: introduction-seizing the opportunity; seven major accomplishments made in Connecticut’s juvenile justice reform; timeline of change-transformation over two decades-a deeply flawed system (1992), growing attention but few solutions (2002), and a transformed system (2012); Connecticut’s array of evidence-based family interventions; keys to success-state of change, Connecticut’s chemistry for reform; and lessons learned-strategies that could help boost success in other jurisdictions.