A stark separation between juvenile and adult defendants, the laws governing crimes committed by underage offenders have always allowed for greater privacy.

These are the laws that protect a minor’s name from being shared in the media and other public forums, for instance, when they’ve committed a juvenile offense.

So what happens when a juvenile offender has committed a felony?

Normally, these charges are processed as if the juvenile were an adult, which, in some cases, can nullify the privacy privileges juveniles are afforded. Connecticut recently passed a law, however, affording greater privacy protection to juvenile felony offenders.

Connecticut Ensures Every Juvenile’s Privacy From the Public

Traditionally, juvenile defendants between the ages of 15 and 17 who were charged with murder, class A felonies, or certain class B felonies, would be charged as adults. This also meant their trials would be held in an adult court.

In adult courts, offenders have no right to privacy. Their information may be retained on the public record and these trials are open to the public.

The new law says that minors charged with felony-level crimes do still have rights to privacy and may request secrecy and other privacy-related protections during their trials, including:

• The right to a trial that is not open to the public
• The right to hold trial proceedings separately from adult proceedings
• The right to confidential records the same as other juvenile offenders

From initial arrest through court trial and sentencing, this new law ensures that every juvenile offender is afforded the same level of privacy throughout the process. At no point will information about a juvenile’s case be legally available to the public in Connecticut.

What to Do When Your Connecticut Teen is Facing a Felony Trial

If your teen has already been charged with a juvenile felony, and your family is currently awaiting trial, there is still time to ensure your child’s privacy.

Your first step is to contact the courts handling your son or daughter’s case. Because the legislation is so newly enacted, one way to make sure your rights are being protected is by consulting an experienced Connecticut criminal defense attorney who also has extensive experience working with juvenile courts.

The juvenile justice system operates separately from the adult court system, and it is vital you follow procedures correctly and within the proper time limits.

Connecticut’s new law is expected to have a far-reaching impact on juvenile felony offenders, and partnering with the right defender will ensure your child has the best possible chance at a fair shake.

The New Law’s Impact on Connecticut’s Juvenile Felony Offenders

For juveniles charged with felony-level crimes, Public Act 19-187 has major implications. Perhaps the most important of these is that juvenile felony offenders are no longer automatically tried in adult courts.

More Options for More Offenders

Under the new law, it is now up to the court whether to the juvenile justice system to the adult system. For offenders whose cases remain in the juvenile justice system, this means having more protection and access to more resources not afforded to adults charged with similar crimes.

Less Access to Criminal Records and Less Recidivism

Another major impact? Allowing a greater number of juvenile offenders to move on after serving their sentences.

Under the new law, all records surrounding their charges and potential conviction will now be sealed, including those of juvenile felony offenders. This makes passing a background check in the future much easier.

The shift in focus away from taking strictly punitive measures and more toward rehabilitation ensures Connecticut’s youth will have the best chances of becoming successful and contributing adults in our communities.

It’s been said that it takes a village to raise a child. When it comes to juvenile crimes in Connecticut, that village can also contribute to a whole set of risk factors to a child’s choices to participate in criminal behavior.

So, though writing off juvenile crime as youthful indiscretions are quite tempting, understand things are much more complicated than that.

Decades of research have identified a number of consistent risk factors contributing to some of the most common juvenile crimes in Connecticut. Let’s take a closer look…

Is Your Child Considered “At Risk” in Connecticut?

According to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, there are handfuls of risk factors for committing juvenile crimes that can be identified as young as six years old. They generally fall under one of five main categories: Individual, Family, School, Peer, and Community.

Individual Risk Factors

For young children, ages six to 11, individual risk factors can be innate — as simple as being male, hyperactivity, dishonesty, and aggression. Later, between 12 and 14, they include factors such as physical violence, substance use, and antisocial behavior.

Family Risk Factors

Among young children, family risk factors can include poor parent-child relationships, neglect, abuse, and separation from parents. As children get older these risk factors can include low parental involvement, poverty, and both discipline that is too harsh or too lax.

School Risk Factors

For young children, a poor attitude about school can be a warning sign while in older kids academic failure is a factor that can influence juvenile crimes

Peer Group Risk Factors

Young children with little to no social ties tend to perpetrate juvenile crimes while older children that are members of a gang or have peers with antisocial tendencies tend to be at risk

Community Risk Factors

Children, no matter age, are at higher risk if they live in a neighborhood that is rife with drugs and crime or if their neighborhood is highly disorganized.

Common Juvenile Crimes in Connecticut

When risk factors come together and a juvenile becomes caught up in the Connecticut juvenile criminal justice system, it is most often for these three offenses:

Possession of Drugs

This is one of the most common juvenile crimes because when juveniles are searched as a group and just one has drugs, often all people in the group are charged with possession. However, to be convicted of possession, the defendant has to be shown to have known the character of the controlled substance, knew the presence of it and had control over it.

Assault

Assault can be anything from threatening school mates to physically beating up another person. The severity of the crime has a bearing on how it is charged. The most common types of assault charged to juveniles in Connecticut include:

• Assault in the first degree – This is a Class B felony. A person is guilty of this felony when there was intent to do cause serious physical harm to another person and can involve a dangerous instrument or deadly weapon. They can also be charged with this felony if there was intent to disfigure the person or cause permanent damage.
• Assault in the second degree – To be found guilty of assault in the second degree, a Class D felony, the defendant must have intended to inflict serious damage to another, cause damage to another with the use of a deadly weapon, or recklessly cause serious physical damage to another utilizing a deadly weapon or other dangerous instruments.
• Assault in the second degree with a firearm – This is a Class D felony. A person is found guilty of this felony when they commit assault in the second degree and threaten or display a firearm during the assault.

Sex Crimes

Juveniles are also commonly charged with sex crimes such as:

• Sexual assault in the First Degree – This can be a Class A or Class B felony. If they compel another to engage in sexual intercourse with them by use of force or threat of force that causes a reasonable person to fear physical injury. It also applies if the person they engaged in intercourse with was under the age of 13 and the person being charged is more than two years older than they are.
• Sexual assault in the Second Degree – This is a Class B or Class C felony. They are guilty of this degree of sexual assault if they engage in sexual intercourse with another person and the person is 13 years of age but under 16 and the defendant is two years or more older, the victim was not able to consent due to mental defect, or the victim was physically helpless.

Juveniles facing charges need proper representation by an experienced Connecticut criminal attorney in order to have the best chance at getting their charges dropped, dismissed, or reduced.

One of the worst fears for any parent is seeing their child in trouble with the law. Even worse is the idea of your child being incarcerated and placed behind bars.

The terrifying reality is that it does happen. Every year an average of 11,000 children are arrested for juvenile crimes in the state of Connecticut alone.

Another terrifying statistic? Three thousand of them will be found guilty and convicted under the state’s juvenile justice system.

One of the most important things any Connecticut parent can do is understand the juvenile system. Just this bit of education can go a long way in helping guide your child through any consequences he or she may face.

An Overview of the Connecticut Juvenile System

In the state of Connecticut, an individual is classified as a juvenile if they are under 18 years of age. They are subject to the same laws and legislation as any adult would be charged under the same state or federal statutes.

A key difference: juvenile delinquency is usually subject to lesser penalties unless they are transferred to adult court.

The Superior Court for Juvenile Matters

The Superior Court for Juvenile Matters is the facility that holds exclusive jurisdiction over every Connecticut juvenile offender. It is the highest court in the juvenile system in Connecticut. Together, they form a state system level of other juvenile courts and facilities used to address the criminal activities of juvenile offenders.

Juveniles Transferred From the CT Juvenile System

Juveniles aged 15 years or older are transferred to an adult court when charged with a Class A or Class B felony. Additionally, those 15 years and older charged with a Class C, D or other unclassified felonies may be transferred at the discretion of a Juvenile Matters Judge.

In most cases, a judge in an adult court can overturn this decision and return the youths back to a juvenile court. So how does a transfer happen in the first place? It occurs through the juvenile court process.

The Juvenile Court Process in Connecticut

We clarify the statement above because not all types of juvenile cases ever come before a judge. Those that don’t are called non-judicial cases and those that do are deemed judicial.

Non-Judicial Cases

Non-judicial cases are for less severe offenses. Offenders are usually placed under supervision by a juvenile probation officer, instead. The assigned officer can either dismiss the case, place the offender under non-judicial supervision for up to 180 days, or recommend judicial handling.

If the juvenile offender does not satisfy the conditions of his supervision period, the officer and refer the juvenile to a prosecutor to be tried for the original charges.

Judicial Cases

Judicial cases address severe offenses like drug trafficking, firearms, etc. Besides instances where a juvenile probation officer has referred the case, juveniles may also be seen when there is a history of juvenile delinquency or if the juvenile denies the charge.

If the juvenile denies the charges, there are two more parts to the court process:

1. Adjudicatory Hearing: The court finds the defendant juvenile guilty or not guilty.
2. Dispositional Hearing: The court decides on sentencing when the juvenile is found guilty.

Ensuring Justice for Connecticut Juveniles

Being convicted of juvenile delinquency can greatly affect your child for the rest of their lives, stunting a number of future education, employment, housing, and financial opportunities.

That said, juveniles are also an extremely vulnerable segment of the CT population, and they aren’t always fully aware of their rights. This is the primary reason youth advocacy groups like the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance (CTJJA) exist.

You can learn more about your child’s rights by visiting their sites and calling for more information. And should your son or daughter ever face accusations of juvenile crime, be sure to consider a Connecticut attorney who has experience with the juvenile court system.