Tow Foundation Touted as Prime Example of Funder Helping Turn the Tide for Juvenile Justice Reform

 

A new precedent was set recently when Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy announced a plan to establish 20 as the age of jurisdiction for the state’s juvenile justice system. This would make Connecticut the first state to presumptively include anyone over 18 in the juvenile justice system.

 

Eye_home_2Not surprisingly, the announcement was met with widespread praise from social justice and child welfare advocates. The Southern Poverty Law Center, the Vera Institute and the Connecticut Democratic Party all shared the news on social media feeds, many trumpeting it as a monumental breakthrough in the fight against over-incarceration.

 

That this could happen in Connecticut is a testament to the potential power of foundation-supported advocacy. Child welfare-focused foundations have poured millions into juvenile justice reform in Connecticut and other states in the past two decades. In those years, Connecticut has gone from being one of only three to count all 16-year-olds as adults to a state considering the first push of juvenile jurisdiction above 18.