HARTFORD — State Rep. Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) joined his colleagues August 10 backing a list of legislative proposals to reform the state’s juvenile justice laws and seek accountability for the victims of Connecticut’s summer juvenile crime wave.

However, the Associated Press reported the chances of reaching a bipartisan agreement on juvenile justice reforms this summer appeared uncertain, with a top Republican in the Connecticut House of Representatives saying talks have “broken down,” and how the General Assembly should push ahead with a series of GOP ideas to address car thefts and other crimes being committed by repeat juvenile offenders.

During a news conference on the North Steps of the Capitol in Hartford, House Republicans listed more than a dozen specific statutory and policy changes they would make, centered around three core principles: prevention, accountability, and rehabilitation.

These proposed reforms include:

*Implementing victim-impact panels in juvenile delinquency hearings;

*Electronic monitoring for juveniles arrested while awaiting trial on previous offenses;

*Expedited arraignment for felonies, sexual assault, or offenses involving use of a firearm;

*Court-ordered family support services intervention at juvenile court arraignments;

*Expanding circumstances in which a matter is automatically transferred to the regular criminal docket, including instances involving a loss of life or use of a firearm; and

*Creating a new offense of “larceny of a motor vehicle” not tied to the value of the vehicle.

“These car break-ins and thefts are intensifying, putting some homeowners into life-threatening situations,” said Bolinsky, who serves as an Assistant Republican Leader in the House. “Newtowners deserve an up-or-down vote on these common sense, bipartisan proposals in a special session before the end of this summer, and I encourage all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who are still waiting to sign our petition to get off the sidelines and help us protect the residents of this state.”

Willing To Compromise

State Representative Jill Barry (D-31), who spoke at the press conference and has had many of these crimes committed in her district, said, “This is not a party issue, this is a public safety issue, and I stand with my community.”

Another key House Democrat said he’s still willing to work with Republicans, the minority party in the state’s General Assembly.

“I was disappointed to hear the House Republicans say discussions have ‘broken down.’ I remain committed to working in a bipartisan manner to make our criminal justice system as effective and just as possible,” said Representative Steve Stafstrom, (D-129), co-chair of the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee, in a statement.

But Stafstrom stressed that “the system is not ‘broken,’” as Republicans have claimed, and that Connecticut’s penal code does not need to be entirely rewritten.

“While there has been a national uptick in car thefts, crime in Connecticut remains at near decades-long lows,” Stafstrom said.

Overall, juvenile arrests are at historic lows in Connecticut. However, there were approximately 6,200 car thefts in 2020, an increase of about 250 over 2019. An analysis by the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy at Central Connecticut State University found the 2020 total was still lower than in 2018.

Representative Craig Fishbein, (R-90), the top House Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said he believed “talks have broken down” with Democratic lawmakers. He noted major differences of opinion with some who have accused the GOP of “manufacturing” a crisis and argue more community programs and mental health services are the answer to help curb juvenile crimes, not stricter punishments.

“The Democrats don’t want solutions here and they continue to blame victims. You constantly hear, ‘Lock your cars,’” said Fishbein.

Juvenile crime was a focus for House Republicans headed into the 2021 legislative session. The session, however, ended without substantial progress in reforming juvenile justice laws.

The House GOP has submitted a petition to call the legislature back into special session, but they don’t have enough votes. Fishbein noted that lawmakers have returned to Hartford this summer to vote on recreational marijuana and the COVID-19 pandemic, yet have “ignored the emergency of juvenile justice in this state.”

More proposals, with greater detail, can be found at www.stopcarthefts.com.

Associated Press content by Susan Haigh is used in this report.